The US sanctions 29 vessels for transporting Iranian crude oil and derivatives

Washington.- The United States Government included this Thursday 29 ships and their management companies on its sanctions list for their alleged participation in the so-called “ghost fleet” of Iran, accused of transporting Iranian crude oil and petroleum products through deceptive maritime practices to evade international sanctions and channel revenue to Tehran.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified the vessels and related companies as responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars in Iranian hydrocarbons to various end users, even while allegedly concealing the true origin of the cargoes and the destinations of the shipments.

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Among those sanctioned is Egyptian businessman Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr, whose companies are associated with seven of the vessels included in the measure, as well as several shipping companies with a presence in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, India, Panama, and the Marshall Islands, as detailed by the Treasury. The action takes place within the framework of the US strategy of “maximum pressure” on Iran, based on ‘Executive Order 13902’ and ‘National Security Presidential Memorandum 2’, with the aim of raising the costs of Iranian oil exports and reducing the revenue that Tehran obtains for each barrel sold. These sanctions come just days after US President Donald Trump announced that he will seize all tankers entering or leaving Venezuela that have any type of penalty for their links with Iran.