Chetan Prakash Balhotra
UAE-based Indian national designated by OFAC on 15 April for role in Shamkhani Iranian oil network.
Last refreshed: 21 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Did OFAC sanction the same Indian network the IRGC attacked three days later?
Timeline for Chetan Prakash Balhotra
Designated by OFAC under IRAN-EO13902 and SDGT for facilitating Shamkhani oil smuggling
Iran Conflict 2026: OFAC named India three days before IRGC fire- Who is Chetan Prakash Balhotra and why was he sanctioned by OFAC?
- Balhotra is a UAE-based Indian national designated by OFAC on 15 April 2026 for facilitating Iranian oil smuggling through the Shamkhani network.Source: US Treasury OFAC
- What is the Shamkhani Iranian oil network sanctioned by the US?
- A sanctions-evasion network linked to former SNSC head Ali Shamkhani, using Indian nationals and UAE entities to route Iranian crude past US export bans.Source: US Treasury OFAC
- Why did OFAC sanction Indian nationals connected to Iran?
- Indian nationals Balhotra and Srinivas were designated for their roles routing Iranian oil through shell companies, circumventing sanctions on the Iranian regime.Source: US Treasury OFAC
Background
Chetan Prakash Balhotra is a UAE-based Indian national designated by the US Treasury''s OFAC on 15 April 2026 as part of the Shamkhani Iranian oil-smuggling network. He was sanctioned alongside compatriot Tanjore Sunilkumar Srinivas and three shipping entities under an executive order targeting Iranian regime elites, three days before the IRGC fired on Indian-flagged tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Balhotra operated within a web of shell companies and intermediaries routing Iranian crude past US sanctions by obscuring vessel ownership and cargo origins. The Shamkhani network, named for former Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, used Indian nationals and UAE corporate entities as front operators to sell oil barred from international markets.
The designation places Balhotra on the Specially Designated Nationals list, freezing any US-jurisdiction assets and prohibiting transactions with US persons. The timing of OFAC's action created a structural bind for Indian diplomacy: Delhi was simultaneously a sanctions target and a victim of Iranian military aggression against the same tanker network.
