India’s Adani denies sanctions evasion or Iran LPG trade after WSJ reports US probe

Published June 2, 2025
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani attends the 51st Gems and Jewellery Awards in Jaipur, India in this file photo from November 2024. — Reuters
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani attends the 51st Gems and Jewellery Awards in Jaipur, India in this file photo from November 2024. — Reuters

India’s Adani Group on Monday denied “any deliberate engagement” in sanctions evasion or trade involving Iranian-origin liquefied petroleum gas, after The Wall Street Journal reported that US prosecutors were probing whether Adani entities had imported Iranian LPG into India through their Mundra port.

An Adani spokesperson called the report “baseless and mischievous” in a statement, adding: “We are not aware of any investigation by US authorities on this subject.”

The WSJ said it had found tankers travelling between the Gulf and billionaire Gautam Adani’s Mundra port in western India exhibiting traits that experts say are common for ships evading sanctions.

It said the US Justice Department was reviewing the activities of several LPG tankers used to ship cargoes to Adani Enterprises, the group’s flagship entity, citing people familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report and the US Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Adani said it did not handle any cargo from Iran at its ports, as a matter of policy. It said all its LPG trade, which accounts for 1.46 per cent of Adani Enterprises’ total revenue, was fully compliant with domestic and international laws, including US sanctions regulations.

A shipment referred to by the WSJ was handled as a “routine commercial transaction” via third-party logistics partners and supported by documentation identifying Sohar, Oman, as the port of origin, Adani said.

US President Donald Trump said in May that any party buying Iranian oil or petrochemical products would immediately be subject to secondary sanctions.

Last November, US authorities indicted Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, on suspicion of paying bribes to secure power supply contracts and misleading US investors during fund-raising in the United States.

Adani Group has denied the accusations and vowed to fight them.

Opinion

Editorial

The heat ahead
Updated 31 May, 2026

The heat ahead

Planning for hotter conditions is increasingly becoming a question of public health, economic resilience and public safety.
Dimming hopes
31 May, 2026

Dimming hopes

THE National Assembly opposition leader’s recent warning should give the ruling parties some pause. Once again, ...
No Tobacco Day
31 May, 2026

No Tobacco Day

THIS year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, announced by the WHO last October, is ‘Unmasking the appeal —...
Diplomatic resolve
Updated 30 May, 2026

Diplomatic resolve

Iran, too, must engage seriously and provide credible assurances about its nuclear programme if it wants sanctions relief and a more stable relationship with the outside world.
Weaponising water
30 May, 2026

Weaponising water

CLIMATE Minister Musadik Malik’s warning against what he described as “water aggression” indicates ...
Rabies toll
30 May, 2026

Rabies toll

EVERY year, rabies, the deadliest zoonotic disease, kills more than 59,000 people worldwide. In Pakistan, it is one...