Iran Expands Its Use of Fraudulent Ship Registries to Evade Sanctions

Nearly 300 Iranian-Linked Ships Sail Under Fraudulent Flags Nearly 300 Iranian-linked ships have been tracked using fraudulent ship registries over the past 90 days to evade sanctions, an accelerating issue that triggered an OFAC alert alongside sanctions imposed on key enablers and companies.

Russia has largely discontinued using fraudulent ship registries for sanctions-evading tankers over 2026 as they are ‘stateless’ and thus vulnerable to naval boarding and interdiction. However, Iran has not only increased the number of ships using fraudulent ship registries but has expanded their use beyond tankers to other vessel types over the past 18 months.

Windward Tracks 278 Ships Across 23 Fraudulent Registries Windward identified 278 ships that have broadcast flags of 23 fraudulent ship registries while sailing in the Middle East Gulf, Indian Ocean, and Gulf of Oman from August 6 to November 5.

The top fraudulent ship registry used is Nicaragua (53 ships), followed by Anguilla (39) and Netherland Caribbean (27).

This story was originally published by Hellenic Shipping News. Read the full story at Hellenic Shipping News →