The United States has imposed new sanctions on more than 50 companies, vessels and individuals accused of helping Iran export petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas in violation of international restrictions. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control confirmed that part of the sanctioned shipping network delivered Iranian LPG to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The Treasury said the network moved fuel through shell companies, flag changes and ship-to-ship transfers to conceal the origin of the cargo. Two of the shipments mentioned in the US statement reached Bangladesh in late 2024 and early 2025.
One involved the Panama-flagged vessel Gas Dior, which delivered over 17,000 tonnes of Iranian LPG. Another concerned the Comoros-flagged vessel Ada, formerly known as Captain Nikolas, which transferred gas to several buyers in Bangladesh.
Both vessels and their operators have been designated as blocked entities, meaning any assets linked to them that pass through the US financial system will be frozen, and American firms are barred from conducting transactions with them.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions are part of an effort to reduce Iran’s revenue from energy exports and cut what Washington terms a funding channel for destabilising activity. This marks the fourth round of sanctions issued this year by Washington targeting intermediaries and logistics companies moving Iranian petroleum products across Asia and the Middle East.
No Bangladeshi company or state body has been named in the sanctions list. However, the Treasury warned that foreign firms dealing with vessels or brokers linked to the sanctioned network could face secondary restrictions, including exclusion from the US banking system. Analysts say the move could force smaller fuel-importing countries, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, to recheck their supply channels, especially for spot LPG purchases routed through third-party companies.
