U.S. Treasury Sanctions UAE Firms for Facilitating Iranian LPG Shipments to Sri Lanka

The United States Department of the Treasury has imposed sweeping new sanctions targeting over 50 individuals, entities, and vessels involved in facilitating Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical exports. Among those sanctioned are UAE-based companies accused of moving millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Markan White Trading Crude Oil Abroad Co. L.L.C and Slogal Energy DMCC, both based in the UAE, played a key role in enabling the sale and shipment of Iranian LPG to Sri Lanka. The shipments, coordinated through complex international networks and shell companies, allegedly generated critical revenue for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other sanctioned entities.

The Treasury report states that in late 2024 and early 2025, multiple shipments of Iranian LPG reached end users in Sri Lanka. These deliveries were facilitated by the Palau-flagged MAX STAR (IMO 9134165) and the Panama-flagged GAS DIOR (IMO 9379404) vessels, which transported tens of thousands of metric tons of Iranian-origin LPG to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

UAE-based Amita Petrochemical Trading L.L.C, along with its subsidiaries Markan White and Slogal, are among the companies newly designated under Executive Order (E.O.) 13902, which targets Iran’s petroleum sector. The companies allegedly acted on behalf of Iran-based Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co (PGPICC) to facilitate sales and payments exceeding $100 million.

“This action degrades Iran’s cash flow by dismantling key elements of its energy export machine,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, emphasizing the Biden Administration’s ongoing “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran’s revenue networks.

The sanctions block all U.S.-based property and financial interests of the designated entities, and prohibit American citizens or businesses from engaging in transactions with them.