US sanctions Chandigarh couple over Iran oil links

The US Department of Treasury has sanctioned Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife Jaspreet Preeti Shahid for allegedly supporting Iran's shadow fleet through false flagging and certification practices.

The couple is accused of deceiving maritime regulatory bodies to create false flagging authorities and classification societies, enabling Iranian vessels to evade international sanctions.

In 2023, Sharma founded a Singapore-based company named Eswatini Maritime Affairs and International Ship Registry PTE. Ltd., which continues to provide flagging services for Iranian petroleum transport despite being disavowed by Eswatini authorities.

The Treasury Department stated that Sharma and Shahid manage a network of primarily India-based entities, some of which are used to create fraudulent flagging registries.

Sharma is the managing director of Oceaniek Technologies India, which the Treasury alleges has been used to establish duplicitous flag registries, including those claiming to belong to Aruba, Nicaragua, and Sint Maarten.

Indian nationals Ashwani Kumar Dhiman and Ishwinder Singh are listed as directors of Sharma's businesses, including Aryavart Ship Management Private Limited. Several India-based companies linked to Shahid have also been sanctioned.