00:00Four Indians named in U.S. Iran cracked down.
00:03U.S. announces sanctions against Indian companies.
00:05U.S. sanctions against nine Indian companies.
00:08U.S. claims that a vast maritime fraud network was going on.
00:12And it has also claimed that there is role of Indians in Iranian shadow fleet.
00:18So Chandlikar Kapil, Sunil and Jaspreet have been sanctioned.
00:22The United States claims that fraud registry websites were used to impersonate.
00:26U.S. Department of War has seized Guyana, flagged vessel, vessel-cally multiple shipments of Iran oil.
00:33U.S. Treasury says that imposing sanctions against four India-based individuals
00:38and nine companies for supporting Iran's shadow fleet.
00:42My colleague Rohit Sharma continues to stay with us with more details on this.
00:46Rohit, over to you. Give us more details about these four Indians who have been named
00:49in U.S.-Iran crackdown and the allegations which are being made.
00:53Well, so this was announced today by the Secretary of Treasury, Scott Besant.
01:00And he called this Operation Economic Outcast.
01:03He targeted these companies for essentially having supporting Iran's shadow fleet by having this fraud.
01:10They're calling it the web maritime fraud so that this company essentially was sanctioning
01:14and giving false flags and certification to sanctioned vehicles.
01:18They named Sunil Kumar Sharma, his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, both with their base in Chandigarh in India.
01:25They said they have been conducting this business since 2014.
01:29And they've established this fake company and fake Singapore-based company that has been allowing Iran to continue its shadow
01:40fleet.
01:41And their false flagging companies are obviously not registered because these are fraud.
01:45So a very big press release letting everybody know that these people are sanctioned now.
01:50They're putting OFAC sanctions on them.
01:53And essentially that the Treasury have been keeping a close eye on these individuals.
02:01In addition to both these husbands, this couple, Ashwini Kumar Dhaman and Ishwinder Singh,
02:07who are serving as directors of Sharma's businesses,
02:11Arivat Ship Management Private Limited have also been named.
02:14So again, President Donald Trump and his cabinet trying to find out ways to sort of put pressure on Iran
02:22and these companies and these individuals from India have been named
02:25in what the Secretary of Treasury is calling as the Operation Economic Outcast.
02:30All right, Rohit, thank you for those details and for that context.
02:33So the United States has now accused four Indians and nine Indian companies
02:37of helping Iran secretly transport and sell oil.
