The US has imposed sanctions on an Indian couple, Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, for allegedly helping Iran transport oil through a network of ships operating under fake flags and maritime certificates.
The action is part of Operation Economic Outcast, a US campaign to stop Iran from earning money through oil sales and other activities. The US has also sanctioned several Indian companies linked to the couple. He and his wife allegedly tried to pose as the official ship registration authority of Dominica, a Caribbean country.
Suniel Kumar Sharma started these activities as early as 2014, according to the US Treasury.
The couple operated from Chandigarh and ran a network that helped ships carrying Iranian oil avoid international restrictions, according to the US Department of the Treasury. The US Treasury Department said the couple created websites that claimed to offer ship registration services on behalf of different countries.
Ltd. The company offered ship registration services to vessels carrying Iranian oil. However, the government of Eswatini publicly denied any link with the company. Sharma is also the managing director of Oceaniek Technologies India.
In 2023, Sharma set up a company in Singapore called Eswatini Maritime Affairs and International Ship Registry PTE.
The US Treasury Department said he used this company to set up ship registries that claimed to represent countries such as Aruba, Nicaragua and Sint Maarten.
