On November 4, the US Treasury Department added Indian and Turkish brokers to the sanctions list, continuing the pressure on Iran after Democrats won congressional elections. President Donald Trump has been running Operation Economic Rogue since August. Now the services without which it is difficult for carriers to maintain their regular routes have been attacked. Finance Minister Scott Bassan threatened sanctions against Tehran's aides on land, sea and air: "We know where you are."
In the maritime section, the Ministry of Finance accuses Indian entrepreneur Sunyal Kumar Sharma and his wife, entrepreneur Jasprit Priti Harog, of issuing fictitious registrations and certificates. According to the department, they introduced themselves as representatives of Guyana, Aswatini and Laos. The documents helped vessels acting on behalf of the Iranian military and its allies to circumvent restrictions. The list also includes 2 more Indian executives and 9 related organizations.
The registration assigns the ship to the country, which must monitor its safety. A fake certificate allows someone else's flag to be displayed without the consent of the maritime administration. After an accident, it is possible that the authorities of the country behind which the ship's owner was hiding may not recognize the ship as theirs at all. The International Maritime Organization directly links false registration to evasion of supervision and threat to the environment. A paper certificate leaves the ship without the supervision of the country whose flag it flies.
The allegation of misuse of Guyana's name has a verifiable background. Its Maritime Administration terminated arrangements with Arivart and related registries effective August 13, 2021, and declared subsequent registries illegal. Sharma claimed in an interview with the "Financial Times" that he started working with official consent from the authorities and stopped after it was revoked. However, Bellingcat researchers found confirmations from the IMSAG registry associated with December 2025.