The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line Group (, Gruh-e Kâshitirani-ye Jimhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran), commonly known by its business name IRISL Group, is a shipping line based in and owned by Iran. Its fleet comprises 115 ocean-going vessels with a total capacity of , with 87 being ocean-going vessels owned by IRISL and the remaining 28 ships being owned under the flags of subsidiary companies, including Khazar Shipping, Valfajr and Iran-India Shipping. They are manned by 6,000 personnel who work under the Iranian flag in the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, international waters and various ports of the world. IRISL was sanctioned by the United States, United Nations, European Union, and other parties for assisting in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile development programs. However, the line had expected to return to the world market in 2016, after the Iran nuclear deal was signed by Iran, the P5+1/EU3+3 powers, and the EU in August 2015. In 2015, IRISL had announced plans to become one of the world's top ten shipping lines by 2020. After the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, US sanctions against IRISL were reimposed on 8 June 2020. On 7 January 2022, shipping knowledge base Alphaliner ranked IRISL as 14th in its Top 100 league chart of global shipping lines. History Due to the increase in the volume of imports into Iran since early 1960, many foreign-flagged vessels began to arrive in Iranian ports, which caused some concerns to the government. Considering the nation's long coastline and accessibility to open seas, the government initiated a research study to determine the feasibility of a national shipping line. The research study began in 1961, and in August 1967 the first general assembly meeting approved the establishment of the Iranian National Shipping Company under the name Arya Shipping Lines. Arya Shipping started in 1967 with six vessels. Two smaller vessels with a capacity of 1,000 and 1,550 tonnes operated in the Persian Gulf area, and four ocean-going vessels (Arya Sep, Arya Far, Arya Naz and Arya Gaam) with a total capacity of 61,252 tonnes provided services to Europe, Asia and the Americas. By the end of 1978, with an increasing shipping volume and an expanding national economy, the fleet consisted of 42 vessels with a total capacity of 525,000 DWT. After the Islamic Revolution and changes to economic policies, Arya Shipping was renamed on 5 January 1979 to Islamic Republic