After tariff war, Trump admin takes BIG move against India, sanctions over 50 entities, including 3 Indian nationals due to…, says,’ degrading…’
In recent months, India-US relations have taken a turn for the worse. First, US President Donald Trump imposed whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. Subsequently, Trump praised India’s neighboring country, Pakistan, despite the continued tensions and counter-terrorism efforts demonstrated through Operations Sindoor. All of this has added to increasing discomfort in diplomatic ties, creating more of a divide between the countries in their respective strategic interests. Now, US President Donald Trump has again strained India-US relations. Read the detailed story below.
A new report out of Washington has further soured relations between India and the United States. This time, the US Treasury has issued new sanctions against businesses tied to Iran’s energy sector. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday announced sanctions against more than 50 individuals, entities, and vessels for facilitating Iranian oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sales and shipments from Iran, including Indian nationals involved in trading activities linked to Iran’s energy sector.
According to the US government, these Indians helped facilitate the exportation of liquefied petroleum gas and other petroleum products from Iran, allowing Iran to profit from billions of dollars in revenue that has purportedly funded organizations classified as terrorists. From the Indian standpoint, this is yet another instance of the United States placing its own economy and interests above any consideration for other countries’ economies and trade.
Why did the Trump administration target Indian entities this time?
As per a release by the US Department of the Treasury published on October 9, these actors have collectively enabled the export of billions of dollars’ worth of petroleum and petroleum products, providing critical revenue to the Iranian regime and its support for terrorist groups that threaten the United States.
The action targets a network moving hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian LPG, along with nearly two dozen shadow fleet vessels, a China-based crude oil terminal, and an independent refinery.
“The Treasury Department is degrading Iran’s cash flow by dismantling key elements of Iran’s energy export machine,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Under President Trump, this administration is disrupting the regime’s ability to fund terrorist groups that threaten the United States.”
Who are the 3 Indian nationals sanctioned by the U.S.?
As per the release, Indian nationals Varun Pula, Soniya Shrestha, and Iyappan Raja have been sanctioned under Executive Order 13902 for acting, or purporting to act, directly or indirectly, for or on behalf of shipping firms involved in transporting Iranian petroleum products and LPG. The release stated that Varun Pula owns Marshall Islands-based Bertha Shipping Inc., which operates the Comoros-flagged vessel PAMIR (IMO 9208239) that has transported nearly four million barrels of Iranian LPG to China since July 2024.
Iyappan Raja has been identified as the owner of Evie Lines Inc., which has allegedly shipped one million barrels of Iranian LPG since April 2025. “Marshall Islands-based Evie Lines Inc. is the owner, operator, and ship manager of the Panama-flagged SAPPHIRE GAS (IMO 9320738). Since April 2025, the SAPPHIRE GAS has transported over a million barrels of Iranian LPG to China. Evie Lines Inc. is owned by Indian national Iyappan Raja,” reads the press release of US Department of the Treasury.
Meanwhile, Soniya Shrestha’s company, Vega Star Ship Management Pvt Ltd, has been accused of transporting LPG from Iran to Pakistan. “Indian national Soniya Shrestha owns India-based Vega Star Ship Management Private Limited, the owner, operator, and ship manager of the Comoros-flagged NEPTA (IMO 9013701). Since January 2025, NEPTA has transported Iranian origin LPG to Pakistan. Liberia-based Titan Seaways Ltd is the owner, operator, and ship manager of the Gambia-flagged GAS ZEINA (IMO 8818843), which has transported Iranian origin LPG to Bangladesh since 2024,” the press release said. The US has blacklisted all three individuals for “engaging in the energy sector of Iran,” claiming that their actions facilitated trade that violated US sanctions.
The US Department of the Treasury stated that the sanctions freeze all property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or under the possession or control of US persons. Any entities owned 50 per cent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
As per the release, OFAC’s regulations prohibit all transactions by US persons or within the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons unless specifically authorized. Violations of US sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on US and foreign persons. Furthermore, the release noted that the ultimate goal of the sanctions is to bring about a positive change in behavior, and individuals or entities designated may seek removal from the sanctions list in accordance with established legal procedures.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Trump administration sanctioned over 50 individuals, entities, and vessels that facilitate Iranian oil and liquefied petroleum gas.
- The US Department of the Treasury stated that the sanctions freeze all property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States.
- Soniya Shrestha’s company, Vega Star Ship Management Pvt Ltd, has been accused of transporting LPG from Iran to Pakistan.
- Iyappan Raja has been identified as the owner of Evie Lines Inc., which has allegedly shipped one million barrels of Iranian LPG since April 2025.
“U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is intensifying its efforts against Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical exports by sanctioning over 50 individuals, entities, and vessels that facilitate Iranian oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sales and shipments from Iran,” the press release read.
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