By Admin 
US agencies have imposed sanctions on eight Indian citizens and ten companies for their links with Iran’s oil and petrochemical business. This action is part of the new round of international sanctions. The US State Department and the Treasury Department have altogether imposed sanctions on more than 100 individuals, companies and vessels. The names of many Indians and India-based companies have been included in the list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department.
Many Indian citizens in US Treasury’s list
The names of Mumbai’s Niti Umesh Bhatt, Kamala K Kasat, Kunal Kasat and Poonam Kasat are included in this action of America. Apart from this, sanctions have also been imposed against Tamil Nadu-born Ayyappan Raja, Tirupati’s Varun Pulla, Piyush Maganlal Javia and Sonia Shrestha. All of them are accused of playing an important role in the oil and gas business related to Iran and violating US sanctions.
Accusations of sending Iranian LPG to China and Pakistan
US officials say Varun Pulla’s company Bertha Shipping transported approximately four million barrels of Iranian LPG to China using a Comoros-flagged ship. Similarly, Ayyappan Raja’s company Ivy Lines, based in the Marshall Islands, sent one million barrels of LPG to China through a Panama-flagged ship. Sonia Shrestha’s India-based company Vega Star Ship is accused of supplying LPG from Iran to Pakistan using Comoros flagged ship ‘NEPTA’.
Indian companies accused of large scale imports
According to the US State Department, between January 2024 and January 2025, India’s CJ Shah & Company imported petrochemical products worth $44 million from Iran. Zavia’s company Chemovic is accused of importing Iranian petrochemical products worth seven million dollars. BK Sales Corp is accused of importing Iranian products worth $235 million, while Modi Chem is accused of importing Iranian products worth $49 million between January 2024 and February 2025.
Additionally, Parikem Resources imported petrochemical products worth $2 million from several companies between May and November 2024. These include Shivanani Organics FZE, which is included in the US sanctions list. These products also contained chemical ingredients like toluene.
American action against Harris Petrochem and Indisol also
Niti Bhatt’s company Indisol is accused of shipments worth $74 million between January and December 2024. Similarly, Haresh Petrochem, a company of the Kassat family, imported products of Iranian origin worth 10 million dollars in the next 13 months from January 2024. All these transactions have been considered a violation of US sanctions.
America’s strict message
America has made it clear that it is not going to spare any country, company or person associated with Iran’s oil and petrochemical business. Washington says that through such actions it wants to make the international sanctions imposed on Tehran more effective.