Iran caught trying to evade sanctions on its oil
An international shipping company shut down an illicit transfer of Iranian crude oil, denying the regime much-needed revenue as it works to skirt international sanctions, according to information obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Iran is believed to have loaded a tanker with petroleum products from its Tombak Port before sending it to perform a ship-to-ship transfer with a Danish vessel operated by Celsius Shipping, which is partnered with the Singapore-based Maersk Tankers. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a watchdog group that monitors Tehran's movements at sea, alerted Celsius and its partner mid-transfer that the other vessel, the Ocean Schooner, likely contained Iran's heavily sanctioned crude oil.
The incident highlights the critical role non-governmental watchdog groups play in policing Iran's illicit activity. While the United States and other countries maintain sanctions on the Iranian oil sector, these governments are not always capable of tracking Tehran's day-to-day movements. UANI has emerged as one of the leading advocacy groups helping to enforce international sanctions by naming and shaming companies still doing business with Tehran.
Iran uses a range of tricks to obfuscate the origins of its oil—a critical revenue source for the hardline regime. It routinely shuts off tracking devices monitored by international authorities, making it difficult for companies to determine the origins of a ship's crude payload, and flies false flags on its ships to deceive recipients.
UANI discovered the Ocean Schooner docked in Iran in early December. It immediately sent a letter to Celsius leaders that provided detailed information about the vessel's movements and links to Tehran. At the time, the Schooner was engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer at sea with the Celsius Everett, according to shipping information provided to the Free Beacon.
As in similar cases, the Schooner was found to have disabled its tracking devices, known as "going dark," when docked in Iran's port.
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Biden is likely to lift sanctions on the rogue regime in Tehran. If he does it will make the world a more dangerous place. It is hard to believe that Biden still believes that Obama's terrible deal with Iran is worthwhile. It was the dumbest deal in history. It funding the military and terrorist operations of Iran that targeted among others the US. It also put the terrorist regime on the glide path to nuclear weapons which they never stopped developing.
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