The oil tanker MT Arman 114 (right), under the Iranian flag, and the oil tanker MT S Tinos, under the Cameroonian flag, after they were caught making illegal oil transfers near Indonesian waters, on July 11, 2023. PHOTO: BAKAMLA / AP / Profimedia
The United States imposed sanctions on 29 ships and the companies that manage them on Thursday, with Washington targeting Tehran's “ghost fleet” that it says exports Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, Reuters writes.
The vessels and companies targeted transported hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products through deceptive shipping practices, the US Treasury said.
The “ghost fleet” refers to vessels carrying oil subject to sanctions. They are usually old and sail without the higher level insurance cover required to meet international standards for major oil companies and the standards required by many ports. Also, who owns them is an often unclear matter.
The U.S. Treasury “will continue to deprive the (Tehran) regime of the oil revenues it uses to fund its military and weapons programs,” John Hurley, the department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the US decision.
The US says it is imposing sanctions on Iran because of Tehran's nuclear program and its support for militants in the Middle East. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated after the two countries held five rounds of indirect nuclear talks that ended with a 12-day air war in June in which Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.
Thursday's decision by Washington also targets Egyptian businessman Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr, whose companies are associated with seven of the vessels mentioned, as well as several shipping companies.
This month, the US took further action against an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude that had originally been placed on Washington's sanctions list for carrying Iranian oil.
The US seized an oil tanker known as the Skipper off the coast of Venezuela on December 10, carrying crude from the South American country, a move that sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Former President Joe Biden's administration imposed sanctions on the tanker in 2022, alleging that it was involved in trading Iranian oil when the ship was called the Adisa.
