At a moment when New Delhi is trying to deepen its strategic footprint, an unexpected jolt has raised new questions: why has the United States placed an Indian company on its sanctions list? The firm appears among 32 individuals and entities Washington says are tied to Iran’s missile and drone development networks.
According to the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Indian firm, Farmlane Private Limited, sits within a sprawling web of companies and facilitators stretching across Iran, the UAE, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany and Ukraine. Washington alleges this network has been quietly feeding materials and support into Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV manufacturing pipeline, placing Farmlane at the center of a sanctions action that many in India are still trying to understand.
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The Treasury Department further alleged that Farmlane’s director, Marco Klinge, a UAE-based German national was a central figure in the operation. Officials say Klinge coordinated procurement on behalf of Iran’s Defence Industries Organization through an arrangement referred to as the “MVM partnership.” He is also identified as the CEO of Germany-based EVA Handelsgesellschaft UG, while simultaneously serving as the primary contact for UAE-registered MVM Amici Trading LLC, roles that Washington claims helped streamline the flow of sensitive materials through the network.
“Across the globe, Iran exploits financial systems to launder funds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies. At the direction of President Trump, we are putting maximum pressure on Iran to end its nuclear threat. The United States also expects the international community to fully implement UN snapback sanctions on Iran to cut off its access to the global financial system,” as per John K. Hurley, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
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U.S. officials argue that the networks now under sanctions are not just logistical hubs but active security risks, warning they endanger American and allied forces stationed across the Middle East and heighten vulnerabilities for commercial vessels navigating the Red Sea. The latest measures, they said, are aimed at cutting off Iran’s attempts to restore and expand its missile and UAV infrastructure in the aftermath of the 12-Day war, tightening pressure on any entity seen as helping Tehran rebuild its military reach.
For India, the inclusion of an Indian firm in a sanctions action of this scale is likely to stir deeper debate. New Delhi has long tried to balance its ties with Washington, Tehran and the wider Gulf, but Farmlane’s presence on the list forces a renewed examination of how global supply chains intersect with India’s own commercial footprint. As the U.S. sharpens its scrutiny of networks linked to Iran’s weapons programs, India now finds itself grappling with the implications of being drawn into a geopolitical fault line it has largely tried to navigate from the sidelines.