Jugwinder Singh Brar and his companies face US sanctions for operating vessels in Iran’s “shadow fleet” and allegedly transporting sanctioned crude oil
The United States has imposed sanctions on a UAE-based Indian national, Jugwinder Singh Brar, and four of his companies for their alleged role in the trade and transportation of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. According to the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Brar’s shipping companies collectively control nearly 30 vessels, many of which operate under Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” — a network of ships used to circumvent international sanctions, reported indianexpress.com.
The sanctions target two India-based companies — Global Tankers and B and P Solutions, both headquartered in Chandigarh — and two UAE-based entities, Prime Tankers and Glory International.
The OFAC alleges that these firms have facilitated the transport of Iranian oil for the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the Iranian military.
US officials say Brar’s firms helped Iran conceal oil exports using clandestine shipping, document falsification, and complex global networks.
The OFAC detailed that Brar’s vessels engaged in high-risk ship-to-ship (STS) transfers off the coasts of Iran, Iraq, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. These oil cargos were later blended with other products and had their documentation altered to erase any trace of their Iranian origin. The US Treasury also linked Brar’s network to Sa’id al-Jamal, an Iran-backed financier for Yemen’s Houthi militia.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented, “The Iranian regime relies on unscrupulous shippers and brokers like Brar and his companies to fund destabilizing activities. The United States is determined to disrupt Iran’s oil trade networks.” The OFAC echoed this, stating its commitment to “aggressively targeting” all players involved in facilitating Iranian oil exports via deceptive tactics like shell companies, smuggling, and falsification of shipping documents.
The shadow fleet, a term used to describe vessels involved in sanctioned oil trades from countries like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, has grown amid Western sanctions. Many of these ships are flagged in countries with weak regulatory oversight and often lack proper insurance and maintenance.
Brar’s case highlights a trend where small, relatively unknown shipping firms — especially in India and other developing economies — emerge as key players in these sanction-evading operations. The US has ramped up such sanctions under its “maximum pressure” campaign, marking this as the fifth wave of penalties in under three months.