UANI Calls On SUEZ RAJAN Parties To Conclude And To Publicly Reveal Internal Investigations Into Illicit Iranian Oil Smuggling

SUEZ RAJAN Must be Diverted To U.S. Port for Enforcement Proceedings and Appropriate Administration of Smuggled Iranian Oil

(New York, N.Y.) — On February 15, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) identified illicit Iranian smuggling through a Ship-to-Ship Transfer to the vessel SUEZ RAJAN. In response, the SUEZ RAJAN’s owners and operators, respectively Oaktree Capital Management (Oaktree), Fleetscape, and Empire Navigation (The ‘SUEZ RAJAN PARTIES’), committed to thorough and full internal investigations of this illicit oil smuggling that resulted in approximately 1 million barrels of sanctioned Iranian oil, laden on the SUEZ RAJAN.

On February 24, UANI publicly called on Oaktree and specifically requested that their internal investigation be made public. On February 25, UANI wrote to both Fleetscape and Empire and specifically requested that their internal investigations be made public. From the outset, UANI has made specific and determinative shipping and satellite information fully available to all parties that follows the movement of Iranian oil from Kharg Island, Iran, to the SUEZ RAJAN. Since announcing their intent to investigate this matter, the SUEZ RAJAN PARTIES have yet to take action to announce their findings and their confirmation of UANI’s information.

UANI Calls on the SUEZ RAJAN PARTIES to conclude and publicly reveal their internal investigations into the illicit oil smuggling aboard the SUEZ RAJAN.  

UANI calls for the immediate diversion of the SUEZ RAJAN to a U.S. port for enforcement proceedings and the appropriate administration of the illicit Iranian oil on the SUEZ RAJAN.

UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace stated: 

“Oaktree, Fleetscape, and Empire are led by distinguished business people and members of the global shipping community. We ask them to ensure transparency about the events that occurred up to and including the smuggling of Iranian oil aboard the SUEZ RAJAN. Responsible shipping companies must provide confidence to their customers, insurers, flag registry and classification societies, and the public-at-large about their compliance with sanction laws. It is untenable for Oaktree, Fleetscape, and Empire Navigation to keep their conclusions and findings about this matter behind closed doors. A dark cloud of suspicion and concerns will linger above all vessels associated with the SUEZ RAJAN PARTIES until they are transparent and accountable as to the circumstances of the SUEZ RAJAN’s role in Iranian oil smuggling and sanctions-busting. They must make their findings public and divert the SUEZ RAJAN to a U.S port for enforcement proceedings and the appropriate administration of the sanctioned Iranian Oil.”

To read UANI’s Iran Tanker Tracking resource, please click here. 

To read UANI’s blog post, February 2022 Iran Tanker Tracking, please click here.