Just a day after President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imports, the U.S. has tightened the screws further—this time slapping sanctions on six Indian companies over their dealings in Iranian oil. The move marks a sharp escalation in Washington’s crackdown on global energy ties with Tehran.
The U.S. Department of State announced Thursday that it is sanctioning 20 entities globally, including six from India, for their alleged roles in facilitating Iranian oil and petrochemical exports. The targeted firms include Kanchan Polymers, Alchemical Solutions, Ramniklal S Gosalia and Company, Jupiter Dye Chem, Global Industrial Chemicals, and Persistent Petrochem.
“All property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked,” the State Department said in its statement. Under Executive Order 13846, the sanctions also extend to entities 50% or more owned by the listed firms.
The crackdown, which also names companies from China, Turkey, the UAE, and Iran, is aimed at dismantling what the U.S. calls a “network of illicit shipping facilitators” who use deceptive tactics to move Iranian oil to third-party buyers. Ten vessels tied to the sanctioned entities were also identified as blocked property.
Scuttling this global supply chain, the statement said, is part of U.S. efforts to stem Tehran’s oil revenues—critical to Iran’s sanctioned economy. The announcement comes amid rising tensions over India’s deepening energy and defense ties with countries like Russia and Iran, both of which are under U.S. sanctions.
While India has yet to respond formally, the penalties land at a tense moment: the U.S.-India trade deal is still being negotiated, and India already faces the threat of further penalties over its oil imports from Russia. The new sanctions suggest Washington is prepared to go beyond rhetoric.
The list of sanctioned Indian entities, some of which are involved in shipping and chemicals, suggests a broader attempt to cut off intermediary supply chains enabling Iran’s energy exports.
