Iranian Oil Tanker Arrives In Venezuela
The first of what is expected to be five Iranian oil tankers has docked at a Venezuelan refinery, defying U.S. sanctions on both countries. VOA reports
The ship arrived in Venezuela on Sunday and the country’s oil minister announced that it has moored at the El Palito refinery.
A second ship entered Venezuelan waters Monday and a third is sailing through the Caribbean.
“I want to thank — from the most noble and sensible heart of the Venezuelan people — the Islamic Republic of Iran, President (Hassan) Rouhani, my friend and colleague, Supreme Leader Ayatollah (Ali) Khamenei … and all of Iran, from the heart, for its solidarity, for its support,” President Nicolas Maduro said.
Despite its oil wealth, Venezuela is experiencing severe fuel shortages. The collapse of its economy along with U.S. sanctions has nearly destroyed its refining capabilities.
Iran has agreed to send more than one and a half million barrels of gasoline and parts to Venezuela.
Neither the White House nor State Department had any comment Monday. But a top Trump official said last week the U.S. is considering how to respond.
U.S. sanctions forbid Iran from selling oil and has also imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan economy, including its state-run oil company, as part of an effort to drive Maduro from power.
From the U.S. State Department, Sanctions and a Maritime Advisory.
The United States has imposed restrictions on activities with Iran under various legal authorities since 1979, following the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
The Department of State’s Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation is responsible for enforcing and implementing a number of U.S. sanctions programs that restrict access to the Unite
The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the U.S. Coast Guard issued a global advisory to alert the maritime industry, and those active in the energy and metals sectors to deceptive shipping practices used to evade sanctions, with a focus on Iran, North Korea, and Syria. The advisory includes a detailed set of best practices for private industry to consider adopting to mitigate exposure to sanctions risk. The deceptive shipping practices discussed in this report may create significant sanctions risk for individuals and entities involved in these industries.
The advisory updates and expands upon previous advisories issued by the U.S. government. It is intended to provide actors that utilize the maritime industry for trade with information on and tools to counter current and emerging trends in sanctions evasion related to shipping and associated services. The advisory highlights common deceptive shipping practices used with respect to countries like Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
The advisory also includes best practices for different sectors of the maritime and energy industries, including global commodity traders, maritime insurers, financial institutions, ship owners and flag registries, and others, to assist in their due diligence and mitigation of sanctions risk. Additionally, the advisory provides information about U.S. and United Nations sanctions relevant to the maritime industry, including a non-exhaustive list of activities for which persons could be sanctioned by the U.S. government. The United States remains committed to disrupting shipping activities by malign actors worldwide—including sanctions evasion and smuggling—which may facilitate criminal activity and threatens international peace and security.
Video An Iranian oil tanker has arrived in the Venezuelan city of Puerto Cabello, home to the Latin American nation’s biggest oil refinery. Oil workers posed with both Iranian and Venezuelan flags after the Fortune dropped anchor on May 25. Four more Iranian vessels are expected to bring gasoline to oil-rich Venezuela whose own fuel production has crashed. The United States has imposed sanctions on both countries. RFE