The United States has imposed sanctions on companies and individuals in India and Turkiye accused of helping Iran circumvent restrictions on its oil exports and airlines.
The US Department of the Treasury announced the measures on Wednesday, saying they target a "vast criminal network" run by Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, a couple based in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.
Two other Indian nationals who head the couple's businesses, along with nine entities linked to Sharma, were also sanctioned.
According to the Treasury, the couple falsely claimed to represent the maritime authorities of countries including Guyana, Eswatini and Laos. They allegedly issued fake flags and certifications that allowed sanctioned tankers carrying Iranian oil to continue operating, including vessels linked to the Iranian military and its allied groups.
The department said the scheme dated back to at least 2014 and relied on websites built to resemble official national ship registries.
The Treasury also sanctioned Turkiye-based Fugo Ground Services, saying the company provided ground handling and other services to several US-sanctioned Iranian airlines that continue to fly to Turkiye, including Iran Air Tour and Saha Airlines.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a warning to shipping companies about the sanctions risks of dealing with vessels sailing under false flags.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue to pursue anyone who supports Tehran.
The sanctions freeze any US assets held by those targeted and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.
The measures form part of the Trump administration's "Operation Economic Outcast", which aims to cut off oil revenue Iran uses to fund its war effort. The Treasury said last week that the campaign had pushed Iran's currency, the rial, to new lows and driven inflation to approximately 90 percent.
The sanctions were announced one day after Democrats won control of both houses of Congress in US midterm elections.
