China is principally responsible for keeping the Iranian regime in business through oil purchases that have totaled over $90 billion since President Biden assumed office in January 2021 to December 2023. Four in every five barrels of exported Iranian oil go to China. This is despite U.S. sanctions that were reimposed in 2019 and maintained under the present administration, with the stated aim of reducing Iranian oil exports to zero.
U.S. and European economic restrictions have been in place on Syria since 2011, including measures prohibiting most oil trade with Syria. Despite this, Syria has been a consistent top-five destination for U.S.-sanctioned Iranian oil since at least 2011. Some 8 percent of total Iranian oil exports end up in Syria—a lot of it forwarded to Hezbollah in Lebanon—facilitated by IRGC smuggling networks.
Just as travelers may not generally enter other countries without a valid passport, ships may not dock at foreign ports without a recognized flag. So it was a significant step this month when the U.S.
‡ Vessel was sanctioned prior to inclusion on UANI’s public list of vessels suspected of involvement in Iran. The vessel remains on UANI’s list as it is currently foreign-flagged or ship-tracking platforms have failed to update the flag to unknown.
The vessels italicized indicate that the vessel was sanctioned after inclusion on UANI’s public list of vessels suspected of involvement in the illicit transfer of Iranian oil.
The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen has carried out a total of 30 piracy (hijacking), UAV, and anti-ship ballistic missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the first attack on November 19, 2023, the hijacking of the GALAXY LEADER (IMO: 9237307).
In the wake of Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israelis on October 7, Iran has taken advantage of the ensuing chaos to escalate its policy of maritime aggression. Some of Iran’s and Iranian proxies’ recent bold maneuvers include: the hijacking of and hostage-taking aboard MV Central Park; attacking the Israeli-owned container ship CMA CGM Symi using a bomb-carrying Iranian drone, and; launching missiles at the USS Mason.
Eye on Iran is a news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a section 501(c)(3) organization. Eye on Iran is available to subscribers on a daily basis or weekly basis.
The Iran nuclear deal is done. And the world's biggest companies have already visited Tehran ready to strike a deal when sanctions end. These businesses will add even more to Iran's bottom line. And that means continued development of nuclear technologies and more cash for Hamas and Hezbollah.