Iran Shadow Fleet Moves Oil to South Asia Irks US

[ABS News Service/09.10.2026]

The Treasury Department said yesterday it is targeting the remnants of Iran’s shadow fleet – the aging network of tankers the regime relies on to move billions of dollars’ worth of petroleum and petroleum products to foreign markets.

“Treasury is starving the tyrannical regime in Tehran of the money it uses to wage war in the region, and we will continue exposing those who enable the regime’s oil sales,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “No enabler of Iranian sanctions evasion is safe from the full force of Treasury’s authorities.”

Treasury said it is taking action against remaining shadow fleet vessels that are continuing to evade US sanctions by transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals. The vessels involved, registered across more than a dozen jurisdictions and operated by an intricate web of international front companies, underscore the global scale of Iran’s illicit shipping architecture and the sophistication with which the regime attempts to mask its sanctions evasion.

By dismantling these maritime nodes and the companies behind them, Treasury said it i severing core channels the Iranian regime has long relied on to circumvent US sanctions, sustain its petrochemical sector and funnel resources to destabilizing actors. Because this illicit maritime ecosystem is fluid, with vessels routinely entering and exiting the network, Treasury will continue to monitor, identify and disrupt any attempts at sanctions evasion.

Treasury took action against 17 shadow fleet vessels responsible for transporting millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil and petroleum and petrochemical products to a variety of markets in South and East Asia.