US sanctions used to take Iranian oil on Russian ship

 Reuters:

The United States has confiscated Iranian oil held on a Russian-operated ship near Greece and will send the cargo to the United States aboard another vessel, three sources familiar with the matter said.

It was unclear whether the cargo was impounded because it was Iranian oil or due to the sanctions on the tanker over its Russian nexus. Iran and Russia are facing separate U.S. sanctions.

The Iranian-flagged ship, the Pegas, was among five vessels designated by Washington on Feb. 22 - two days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine - for sanctions against Promsvyazbank, a bank viewed as critical to Russia's defence sector.

The vessel's Russian owner Transmorflot was subsequently designated on May 8. The tanker, renamed Lana on March 1 and flying the Iranian flag since May 1, has remained near Greek waters since then. It was previously Russian-flagged.

A source at Greece's shipping ministry said on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice had "informed Greece that the cargo on the vessel is Iranian oil".

"The cargo has been transferred to another ship that was hired by the U.S.," the source added, without providing further details.
...

Since both Iran and Russia are sanctioned it looks like the US had ample reason to deal with the oil on board the ship. 

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