On Wednesday, the United States imposed sanctions targeting what it described as a “vast criminal network” run by two Indian citizens, which was providing assistance to an Iranian “shadow fleet” of oil tankers in committing maritime fraud.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement that the network helped Iranian ships sail under false flags and obtain fake maritime licenses.
This step is the latest in the process launched by the administration of President Donald Trump since August with the aim of “stifling” Iran economically, in parallel with its military campaign.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, which plunged the Middle East into a spiral of violence, especially since Tehran’s retaliatory responses targeted allies of the United States in the region, and led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for energy exports.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent, who had previously threatened to impose sanctions on any country or company that helps Iran, regardless of the nature of its relationship with Washington, said: “As we have said repeatedly, under ‘Operation Economic Pariah’, you are either with us or against us.”
He added: “We know where you are, and we will impose sanctions on everyone who continues to support the Iranian regime, whether by land, sea or air.”
Wednesday's sanctions included Indian citizens Sunil Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jasprit Preeti Shahid, who the US administration accuses of running a vast maritime fraud network out of the city of Chandigarh.
The Treasury Department explained in its statement that the couple established “companies pretending to be ship registration companies and maritime service providers for countries and jurisdictions such as Guyana, Eswatini, Aruba, Mali, Mozambique, Malawi, Sint Maarten, and East Timor.”
She added: “These companies sold false records and false certificates to ships transporting illicit Iranian oil. Most of these governments have publicly distanced themselves from fraudulent registration companies.”
The sanctions also targeted other Indian citizens, in addition to a number of companies that the Treasury Department said were part of this network.
Wednesday's decisions also included Washington imposing sanctions on Fogo Ground Services, a company based in Türkiye, for continuing to provide ground services to the Iranian aviation sector, which the United States seeks to disrupt.
Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions targeting the “remnants of Iran’s shadow fleet” of oil tankers, and the sanctions included 17 ships.
A reliable source confirmed today (Wednesday) that the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, will not run for the minority leader election in the House after the Republican Party lost its majority in the midterm congressional elections.
A person familiar with the matter said that Johnson, who has struggled to maintain control over a slim Republican majority of 218-214 since taking over as Speaker of the House three years ago, announced his decision to his staff this morning.
The Republican representative from Louisiana spent most of the 2026 midterm election campaign emphasizing that Republicans would expand their majority in the House of Representatives, eventually seeing Democrats take control of the House of Representatives and the Senate yesterday, Tuesday, in a broad rejection of Republican leadership under President Donald Trump.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan announced their plans to run for the position of Minority Leader in the party's leadership elections expected on November 10.
Trump told reporters that he would stay away from the Republican Party leadership elections, and added, “The Speaker of the House of Representatives was wonderful.” The people working under him were amazing. "They are all good."
The police chief of Hillsborough County, Florida, announced the death of two people, including the suspect, after reports were received from eyewitnesses of a shooting at the Citibank office complex outside the American city of Tampa, according to the Associated Press.
Police forces were deployed heavily in the complex on Wednesday afternoon, and television footage showed long lines of employees exiting the office buildings. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office stated in a post on the social media platform "X" that it "responded to a report of a security threat and is currently securing the building."
Police Chief Chad Chronister said on the X platform: “We believe the incident was a specific target.” He added, "The suspect has died."
It was not immediately known if there were any other injuries.
The Citibank complex in the suburbs of Tampa includes 4 three-story office buildings that house thousands of employees of the banking giant.
