The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control just took a sledgehammer to a smuggling network that had been quietly shipping Iranian liquefied petroleum gas across Asia while pretending it came from Oman. The designations, announced on June 5, target individuals, front companies, and six LPG tankers that collectively generated hundreds of millions in revenue for Iran’s petroleum sector.
The action falls under the broader “Economic Fury” campaign, Washington’s escalating initiative to choke off Iran’s ability to monetize its energy exports through deceptive workarounds.
How the smuggling network operated
The scheme worked by disguising Iranian-origin LPG as Omani product. Tankers would load up with Iranian gas, swap the paperwork to say it came from Oman, and sell it to buyers across Asia. False documentation made the cargo look legitimate at every checkpoint.
OFAC identified two key individuals at the center of the operation. Sarbaz Abdul Zada and Mohammad Shakol Mihandoust, also known as Haji Shakoor, allegedly orchestrated the logistics and financial flows that kept the network running. Their connections span Afghanistan, Turkey, the UAE, and China.
