US Sanctions 35 Vessels, Companies that are Part of Iranian ‘Shadow Fleet’

Photo Credit: Tasmin News / CC4.0

An Iranian oil tanker identified as the Ndros, in Venezuela, in Dec. 2020. Except the Ndros was scrapped in 2018, and this may be the Calliop disguised under that name.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Tuesday against 35 vessels and companies that it says are part of a “shadow fleet” that illegally delivers Iranian oil to other countries, destabilizing the region.

“Iran continues to funnel revenues from its petroleum trade toward the development of its nuclear program, proliferation of its ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology and sponsorship of its regional terrorist proxies, risking further destabilizing the region,” said Bradley Smith, acting U.S. under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department.

The U.S. government imposed sanctions on 21 ships, which it said “have collectively shipped tens of millions of barrels of oil for Iran.” It also sanctioned 14 companies that own or manage the vessels.