The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions against 35 entities and vessels for transporting Iranian oil. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo
The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned 35 entities and vessels that have shipped oil from Iran to foreign markets despite sanctions levied by the United States.
The department described a complex shell game organized by Iran and its supporters to get the regime’s oil to various markets by constantly changing the names of vessels and changing the country flags. The Treasury said the that scheme helped Iran and its enablers avoid responsibility for breaking sanctions. Advertisement
In what the Treasury Department calls Iran’s “shadow fleet and facilitators,” it described how tankers take on several names and flags to avoid detection.
“Iran continues to funnel revenues from its petroleum trade toward the development of its nuclear program, the proliferation of its ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology, and sponsorship of its regional terrorist proxies, risking further destabilizing the region,” Bradley Smith, the Treasury’s acting under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
“The United States remains committed to disrupting the shadow fleet of vessels and operators that facilitates these illicit activities, using the full range of our tools and authorities.” Advertisement
Along with changing the names of vessels and reflagging them, the Treasury said Iran also constantly provides falsified documentation and manipulates tracking systems to keep its scheme going. The department said that the 35 sanctioned are part of a “sprawling network” needed to keep Iran’s oil flowing to its overseas customers.
The Treasury Department has been able to identify the Marshall Island-flagged Jaya, Guyana-flagged Phonix, and Cook Islands-flagged ships Bertha, Olive, Yuri, and Min Hang for sanctions.
Others include the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Elva and Ceres I, the San Marino-flagged Vanity, the Liberian-flagged Lady Lucy, the Belize-flagged Vesna, the Honduras-flagged Ft Island, the Iranian-flagged Masal and Panamanian-flagged Black Panther, Lioness, Veronica III, Fiona II, and Merope.
The full list of sanctions ships and entities can be found here.
The Treasury said the tankers and their facilitators have transported thousands of barrels of Iranian oil to customers throughout the world.
