The USA Treasury Division on Thursday introduced sanctions in opposition to tanker operator Oceanlink Maritime DMCC accusing it of transporting commodities for Iran’s army.
The enforcement by the Treasury’s Workplace of Overseas Property Management (OFAC) targets 13 ships that the division mentioned are managed by Oceanlink Maritime.
Washington in 2018 reinstated financial sanctions on Tehran after the then-Trump administration withdrew from a deal through which Iran agreed to step by step obtain arms denuclearization in trade for sanctions reduction. The U.S. sanctions “goal vital sectors of Iran’s financial system, equivalent to its vitality, transport, shipbuilding, and monetary sectors”, the White Home mentioned in an announcement November 2, 2018.
Saying an enforcement motion Thursday, the Treasury mentioned in an announcement, “The Oceanlink Maritime DMCC-managed vessel HECATE lately loaded Iranian commodities valued at over $100 million {dollars} through a ship-to-ship (STS) switch from one other sanctioned tanker, the DOVER, on behalf of Iran’s Sepehr Vitality Jahan Nama Pars (Sepehr Vitality), which OFAC sanctioned in November 2023 for its position promoting Iranian commodities for the AFGS and MODAFL”. The Treasury was referring to Iran’s Armed Forces Basic Employees (AFGS) and Ministry of Protection and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
One other ship, Saint Mild, beforehand sanctioned by the U.S. because the vessel Younger Yong, performed an STS switch of “Iranian commodities” March 27 with the sanctioned vessel Hawk, which is operated by the Nationwide Iranian Tanker Co., the Treasury mentioned.
Price over $100 million, the cargo had earlier undergone an STS switch between Hawk and one more sanctioned vessel, Kohana, the Treasury mentioned.
It recognized the opposite focused ships as Baxter, Calypso Gasoline, Cape Gasoline, Demeter, Elsa, Glaucus, Hebe, Meraki, Oceanus Gasoline and Ourea.
These “have all shipped Iranian commodities, some as lately as March of this yr”, the Treasury mentioned.
“On account of at the moment’s motion, all property and pursuits in property of the designated individuals described above which might be in america or within the possession or management of U.S. individuals are blocked and have to be reported to OFAC”, the Treasury mentioned. “As well as, any entities which might be owned, straight or not directly, individually or within the mixture, 50 % or extra by a number of blocked individuals are additionally blocked”.
Brian E. Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and monetary intelligence, commented, “The USA will proceed to make use of our full vary of instruments to focus on the illicit funding streams that allow Iran’s destabilizing actions within the area and all over the world”.
On September 8, 2023, the U.S. Division of Justice (DOJ) confirmed the confiscation of a tanker carrying what it mentioned was “contraband crude oil” from Iran. The tanker was seized April 2023, the DOJ mentioned.
Empire Navigation Inc.’s Suez Rajan Ltd. was transporting a 980,000-barrel, “multimillion-dollar cargo” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a safety power designated by Washington as a terrorist group, the DOJ mentioned in an announcement on the time. The operator is predicated in Athens, Greece.
“That is the first-ever legal decision involving an organization that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil”, learn the assertion.
Iranian state media Islamic Republic Information Company (IRNA) reported September 10, 2023, “Newly unsealed courtroom papers publicly verify the U.S. authorities has stolen almost a million barrels of Iranian crude oil from the M/T Suez Rajan tanker”.
“The seizure is on the middle of a shadowy battle taking part in out on this planet’s ocean transport corridors because the U.S. seeks to make use of financial sanctions to dam Iran from exporting oil”, IRNA wrote. “The U.S. and its allies have been stealing Iranian oil cargoes since withdrawing from the nuclear deal often known as the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] and reimposing sanctions on Iran in 2018”.
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