meta_id 3066178

On April 15, 2026, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added multiple individuals and entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List as part of counter-terrorism designations targeting an illicit oil smuggling network operated by Iranian regime elites. The designations include three individuals: Chetan Prakash Balhotra (United Arab Emirates), Seyed Naiemaei Badroddin Moosavi (United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey), and Tanjore Sunilkumar Srinivas (United Arab Emirates). Moosavi is subject to secondary sanctions pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations and Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886. OFAC designated 15 entities across multiple jurisdictions, including shipping and consultancy companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, India, and Marshall Islands. Key entities include A.C.S. Global BV (Netherlands), ACS Trading LLC (United Arab Emirates), House of Shipping Investment FZCO (United Arab Emirates), and Oriel Group (United Arab Emirates). Several entities are subject to secondary sanctions related to Hizballah financing. Additionally, OFAC designated nine vessels used in the smuggling operation, including crude oil and oil products tankers flagged to Panama, Mozambique, and Cameroon. Vessels designated include ANAYA, ANIKA, AURA, BELLARIS, CAUVERI, DAPHNE V, HORAE, SILVAR, and VERSA, with build years ranging from 2003 to 2009. All designated individuals and entities are subject to asset freezes, and U.S. persons are prohibited from conducting transactions with them. The designations target the network's involvement in illicit oil smuggling operations linked to Iranian regime officials.