US imposes sanctions on Iranian-linked ghost fleet and Chinese oil terminal
President Donald Trump warns that if talks with Iran about its nuclear program fail, the country will be in ‘great danger.’ The discussions are set to begin in Oman on Saturday.
Two days before negotiators from the United States and Iran are scheduled to meet to discuss a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program, the U.S. has imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s ghost fleet, which transports oil to countries like China.
The State Department released a statement on Thursday, saying, “Today, the United States is taking action under President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran to cut off the revenue that the regime uses for its malign activities and oppression of its people.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program will take place in Oman on Saturday. President Trump previously stated that Iran would be in ‘great danger’ if the negotiations were unsuccessful.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Jugwinder Singh Brar, an Indian national in the UAE, who owns nearly 30 vessels involved in high-risk ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian petroleum.
The Treasury Department also placed sanctions on two UAE-based companies and two Indian firms that operate ships transporting Iranian oil.
‘Network of Unscrupulous Shippers’
Sanctions were also enforced on the Chinese company Guangsha Zhoushan Energy Group Co. Ltd, which operates an oil terminal in Zhoushan, near Shanghai, known for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.
The State Department highlighted that the terminal imported Iranian crude oil multiple times, including from U.S.-sanctioned vessels, totaling at least 13 million barrels.
In February 2025, Guangsha Zhoushan accepted one million barrels of Iranian crude oil from the Aventus I, a tanker previously sanctioned by OFAC. The terminal is connected to a teapot refinery through an undersea pipeline.
Teapot Refinery Sanctioned
Last month, the U.S. sanctioned the teapot refinery Huaying Huizhou Daya Bay Petrochemical Terminal Storage for the first time.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA, calling it the “worst deal ever.” Biden’s administration engaged in indirect negotiations in Vienna in 2021 but did not reach an agreement.
Trump remains firm on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and has threatened with military action and tariffs if a deal is not reached.
Reuters contributed to this report.
