UANI’s Shipping Campaign Roundup

Leadership and Impact

Iran’s ‘Ghost Armada’ and its secret alliance with China
UANI CEO Ambassador Mark Wallace and Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, writing in The Spectator on August 15, warn that China’s sanctions-busting consumption of Iranian oil weakens western attempts to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, or exporting terrorism: “Working at the behest of the Iranian leadership, a fleet of vessels has been assembled with the sole objective of breaching international sanctions barring foreign investments and exports of Iranian petroleum products. They have been ferrying black-market oil to willing buyers, predominantly China… For the past three years, specialist monitors at our organisation United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) have been tracking, and alerting governments to, the Ghost Armada’s growing activities. By cross-referencing commercial satellite photography with GPS systems that pinpoint the location of every ship at sea, they have scoped the size and capacity of Iran’s sanction-busting fleet. In some cases, vessels have been caught making an illegal transfer. By observing the armada’s movements, UANI has uncovered a playbook of evasive tactics… With Iran’s Ghost Armada generating unconditional financial support from China, Western attempts to exert pressures in order to stop them building nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, or exporting terrorism, are being crippled. Not only must sanctions against Iran be maintained, but Britain, Europe and the US must finally enforce them.” 

Biden must act on 'grave threat' as Maduro's Venezuela aligns with Iran and Hezbollah
Writing in the Miami Herald on December 3, UANI Advisory Board Member Gov. Jeb Bush warns of the threats to the security of the United States should the Biden Administration continue to ignore the illegitimate rule of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, and his ties to Iran and Hezbollah: “The U.S. position remains weak due to the laxity of sanctions enforcement, and Iran is all too eager to thumb its nose at Washington… It’s time for President Biden to put an end to that by making it far more difficult for the Maduro and Iranian regimes to support each other. The U.S. should significantly strengthen its enforcement of sanctions against Iran and expand them to target the vessels, their owners and operators, ship captains, insurance, and classification companies that enable its maritime trade. The U.S. should work to block the Iranian regime from using its state-controlled HispanTV — a Spanish language network — from propagandizing to Latin Americans. The U.S. should object to any nation permitting the IRGC-controlled airline Mahan Air to traverse its airspace or land in its territory. And President Biden should order the U.S. Navy to stop vessels carrying illicit cargo from reaching port, whether that be in Venezuela, China, Syria, Lebanon or elsewhere.” 

If Biden won’t fight China’s importing of Iranian oil, Congress should
UANI Senior Advisor Ambassador Nikki Haley, writing in the Washington Post on October 19, argues for Congress to take action against illegal oil shipments from Iran to China: “Here’s a riddle: Iran has no access to international banking systems. It can’t do business with firms that want to access U.S. markets. Most of its assets are frozen. So how does the cash-starved Iranian regime continue to fund terrorist groups across the Middle East? The answer, increasingly, is China. And President Biden has largely chosen to look the other way as China steadily buys millions of barrels of Iranian oil…  If Biden won’t hold Iran or China accountable, Congress should. To start, Congress can enact sanctions on the People’s Bank of China and other Chinese banks that deal with the Central Bank of Iran. They should tie any relief to compliance with U.S. sanctions against Iran. Lawmakers can also place sanctions on Chinese entities that store Iranian oil or help operate, maintain, register or insure vessels that transport it… The status quo is unsustainable. Iran is winning. Communist China is winning. Terrorist groups in the Middle East and beyond are winning. The United States and its allies are losing. The president may prefer negotiations, but they have only emboldened those who wish America ill. National security is non-negotiable.”

UANI in the News 

Illegal Iranian Oil Shipments to China Skyrocketed in 2021
A story in the Washington Free Beacon on January 7, 2022 detailed UANI’s work in documenting a 40 percent rise in Iranian oil shipments in 2021. “From 2020 to 2021—when the Biden administration began negotiations with Iran surrounding a revamped nuclear deal and began to unwind sanctions on the hardline regime—Iranian oil exports increased by 123 million barrels, or 40 percent, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which closely tracks Tehran's armada of illegal oil tankers. Beijing took in a total of 310 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensates from January to September of last year, according to UANI. This number is larger than the total number of oil barrels sold to all other destinations in 2020 together and exceeds the same period in 2020 by nearly 100 million barrels. “The 40 percent increase in Iran's oil exports is a result of the Biden administration's refusal to enforce sanctions,” Claire Jungman, UANI's chief of staff, told the Washington Free Beacon. “This lack of enforcement is a form of sanctions relief and has led to an improvement in Iran's economic situation and diminished the leverage and credibility of the U.S. during negotiations.” Analysts with UANI tracked a fleet of non-sanctioned foreign-flagged vessels transporting Iranian crude throughout 2021 to various destinations. A large majority of this oil was sold to China. “The Biden administration needs to make it more difficult for Iran to export its oil,” Jungman said. “To start it should sanction the individual vessels carrying Iranian oil.” UANI had several Iranian ships blacklisted by maritime authorities through a pressure campaign targeting international shipping companies.” Additional media coverage: TheBL.

U.S. safety firm withdraws certification for two oil tankers over Iran sanctions
A January 21, 2022 Reuters story detailed how two oil tankers had their environmental and safety classification withdrawn by American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) following evidence provided by UANI of illegal shipments of Iranian oil. UANI alerted ABS to transfers of Iranian oil involving the Panama-flagged Karo and the Belize-flagged Elsa. In a December 21 letter to UANI, ABS said that after completing an independent investigation it had found "material evidence" that on or about December 8 the Elsa had “engaged in illicit transshipment operations with an Iranian tanker” and had as a result cancelled all classification services. ABS said in another letter to UANI on January 14 it had completed a separate independent investigation of the Karo and also cancelled all certification services associated with it. Without certification, vessels are unable to secure insurance cover or call at most international ports. “Classification societies are faced with the challenge of keeping up with Iran's tactics in order to avoid facing sanctions themselves,” Claire Jungman, chief of staff at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), said. The ABS website shows that so-called class cover, which includes vessel safety inspections, for a ship named the Elsa was withdrawn on December 17, with sanctions cited as the reason, while cover for a second ship, the Karo, was withdrawn on January 13, with sanctions also cited as the reason for the move. Additional media coverage: The Bharat Express News, Iranintl.com. 

U.S. Weighs New Sanctions on Iran’s Oil Sales to China if Nuclear Talks Fail
A July 19 Wall Street Journal story regarding possible tighter sanctions on Iranian oil sales to China as a way to encourage Tehran to negotiate a new nuclear agreement quoted UANI research on the number of foreign vessels involved in the Iran oil trade. “United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York group that campaigns against Tehran’s nuclear program, says the number of foreign vessels involved in transporting the country’s oil has risen to 123 from 70 in November 2020. Almost half of such vessels are now flagged in Panama, which had deregistered ships involved with Iranian oil under pressure from the Trump administration, according to the group.” 

Shipping industry seeks to combat dark oil transfers at sea
A July 13 Reuters story describing attempts by the shipping industry to tighten operational guidelines and apply technology to prevent violating sanctions noted UANI’s successful intervention that stopped two ship to ship transfers: “In separate incidents in December and January, two vessels managed by Maersk Tankers almost took on cargoes of Iranian oil whose origin was concealed. The STS operations were halted before the cargoes were transferred after Maersk Tankers was alerted by U.S. pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). UANI, which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic through ship and satellite tracking, said it was aware of multiple illicit oil transfers that affected shipping companies conducting regular trade. “Most often, by the time the STS gets to a large company, such as Maersk Tankers, the vessels have engaged in numerous STS in an attempt to mask the origin of the cargo,” Claire Jungman of UANI said.” Additional media coverage: OilPrice.com. 

Vietnamese oil tanker seized by Iran now free in open waters
An Associated Press story on November 10 chronicled the seizure, and eventual release by Iran of the Vietnam flagged oil tanker the Sothys, a vessel suspected of trying to transfer sanctioned Iranian crude oil to Asia. The story noted UANI’s investigation into the activities of the Sothys. “The Sothys had been on the radar of United Against a Nuclear Iran, a New York-based advocacy group long suspicious of the Islamic Republic. In a letter dated Oct. 11 addressed to the Vietnam Maritime Administration, the group said its analysis of satellite photos showed the Sothys received a ship-to-ship transfer of oil in June from an oil tanker called the Oman Pride. The U.S. Treasury identified the Oman Pride in August as being used to transport Iranian oil as part of a smuggling scheme to enrich the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force. That Iranian oil ends up being sold into East Asia, the Treasury alleged, without identifying a specific country.” Additional media coverage: Lloyd’s List, Polygraph.info, The Maritime Executive. 

Three Tankers with Unknown Class, Flag and Insurance Shipped 10% Of Iran-China Crude

A January 5 story in Lloyd’s List based on UANI research data found that three vessels shipped 10 percent of Iranian crude oil exports to China in 2021: “Three elderly tankers for which flag registry, class, insurer, and beneficial owner is unknown shipped nearly 10% of all US-sanctioned Iranian oil to China in 2021, based on vessel-tracking data from United Against Nuclear Iran. Very large crude carriers Phoenix (IMO: 9181194), Ethan (IMO: 9293741) and Vera (IMO: 9203277) were tracked by the New York-based non-governmental organisation over the year transporting nearly 113,000 barrels per day, UANI data compiled by Lloyd’s List show.” 

US Sells Iranian Crude Seized En Route to Venezuela
An Epoch Times story on December 8 described the sale by the U.S. of around 1.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil seized by the U.S. Navy from four foreign-flagged tankers that were en route to Venezuela. The crude oil, the property of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was sold for about $26.7 million. “…United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a non-profit non-partisan organization that aims to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and tracks illicit Iranian oil shipments, said that in November 2021, it identified 149 foreign-flagged vessels suspected of involvement in illegal transfers of Iranian crude and/or petroleum products. That’s up from around 70 such vessels the group identified in November 2020. “One of the most frequently deployed tactics in evading oil sanctions is ‘flag hopping,'” UANI said in a Dec. 1 statement, a tactic that involves repeated switching of a ship’s “flag” to different national registries, technically allowing such vessels to travel and dock legitimately.” 

Iranian demands raise fresh doubts as nuke talks resume
A November 29 story in the Washington Times devoted to prospects for nuclear negotiations with Iran noted UANI research in its characterization of China’s role in keeping the Iranian economy afloat: “… some regional analysts say covert support from China — one of the key signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal — has helped to keep the Iranian economy afloat over the past few years and may even have made President Raisi even less motivated to negotiate with Washington. At issue specifically are Chinese purchases of Iranian oil, which have steadily increased since President Biden arrived in office in January. Data compiled by United Against Nuclear Iran, a bipartisan advocacy group in New York, shows nearly 1 million barrels per day of Iranian crude were reaching China last spring, even as global oil prices were starting to climb sharply.” 

Biden's Got No Leverage, Israel's Impotent. Iran Has Nothing to Fear From Nuke Talks
An analysis of the state of nuclear negotiations with Iran that ran in Haaretz on November 28 noted UANI’s research documenting Iranian oil exports: “Iran’s gross income from the sale of oil last month totaled some $90 million. It earned similar sums in August and September, and the same will be true this month, bringing in a grand total of about $1 billion for 2021 – which is equal to Hezbollah’s annual budget… The group that tracks, warns and reports on these issues is a nonprofit called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a U.S. organization with an international presence. Its directors and members include former ambassadors, senators and senior CIA officials. For some reason, Israel has only one representative on the board of directors: ex-Mossad chief Tamir Pardo. For years, the organization has been calling for a tightening of the economic and diplomatic siege against Iran while it continues its pursuit of achieving nuclear capability.” 

Cameroon flag registry in fresh links to Iran oil trading
A story in Lloyd's List on November 16 described UANI’s efforts to pressure Cameroon to take action against very large crude carrier Roza, one of 18 Cameroon-flagged tankers tracked by UANI in U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela and Iran oil trades: “The international flag registry of Cameroon is under renewed pressure to deal with tankers trading US-sanctioned crude after another ship loaded a cargo via ship-to-ship transfer in waters off Jask, Iran last week. The Cameroon-flagged very large crude carrier Roza (IMO: 9197909) received a cargo of Iranian oil from Tanzania-flagged Phoenix (IMO: 9181194) between November 6-9, the United Against Nuclear Iran said in a letter to the country’s registrar. The New York-based non-profit group cited satellite images of the two tankers alongside each other in that region and said that both ships were spoofing their vessel location so that Automatic Identification Signals did not show them in the vicinity.”

China upholding Iranian regime with oil purchases
UANI’s Director of Research Daniel Roth was quoted in a November 4 story in the Washington Times concerning China’s blatant disregard for U.S. oil sanctions on Iran: “At a moment when the Iranian government and military would otherwise be scrambling in the face of U.S. sanctions, China‘s flouting of the measures is “the one thing that’s keeping the Iranian regime afloat,” said Daniel Roth, research director at the bipartisan advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which tracks Iranian crude oil purchases around the world. “Without its oil revenues from China, the regime can’t export its terrorism across the region and into Europe. It doesn’t have the extra funds to pursue its illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, or its drone warfare programs.” 

Iranian Oil Sales to China Skyrocket as Experts Say Biden Admin Turns Blind Eye to Sanctions Enforcement
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman was interviewed by the Washington Free Beacon for a November 2 story that noted growing Iranian oil exports to China in 2021. “China's importation of Iranian oil has drastically increased since January 2021, according to experts tracking the numbers, and has coincided with the Biden administration's efforts to revive nuclear negotiations with Tehran. The United States has promised to waive sanctions on Iran that were imposed by the Trump administration, including those on its oil trade, if Iran agrees to return to the deal. Experts say the Biden administration is already tacitly allowing these sales to increase by not enforcing sanctions still in place—giving the Iranian regime a critical financial lifeline as its economy teeters on the brink of collapse. The increase in oil exports to China “has to do with a lack of enforcement on sanctions,” UANI chief of staff Claire Jungman told the Washington Free Beacon. “I do believe there is just a lack of enforcement and a lack of interest from the Biden administration to enforce these sanctions.” Jungman also noted that Iran's “ghost armada” is increasing, saying, “Our research shows that the increase in the number of vessels in the ghost armada coincides with the change in administration.” In November 2020, at the height of the Trump administration's sanctions campaign, UANI found 70 foreign vessels that it suspected of engaging in illicit oil transfers for Iran. Just about a year later, the number has grown to 149.” 

Marine Insurers Cancel ‘Spoofing’ Iran-Linked Ships
An October 4 Lloyd’s List story detailed UANI’s correspondence with three indemnity providers detailing how vessels they cover are using two transponders to obfuscate their location while they load Iranian fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoil, crude, and condensate. “The New York-based non-government organisation has written to the protection and indemnity providers between December 2020 and August 2021 about 11 tankers involved in deceptive practices. “Some vessels are carrying two Automatic Identification System transponders on board,” UANI wrote in letters to West of England P&I, American Club and Skuld. “One AIS transponder is turned on as the vessel sails towards the United Arab Emirates, Oman or Iraq. Once the vessel reaches these waters, it is turned off, and the second transponder is turned on. “The second transponder locks in a GPS position to appear that the vessel is anchored in the UAE, Oman, or Iraq, while the vessel is then at liberty to proceed to Iran.” Since the UANI correspondence, six of the ships have been removed from the marine insurers. But two crude tankers and three LPG carriers remain entered.” 

Sanctions under Biden: still inconsistent, still ambiguous, still in place
A September 1 analysis by Lloyd’s List determined that two-and-a-half years after the US imposed sanctions on Iran and Venezuela’s oil and shipping sectors, implementation remains both haphazard and ineffectual. “Post-Trump, Iran crude exports are rising and exceeded 843,000 barrels per day in July, with more than 40% shipped to China, figures from United Against Nuclear Iran show. The New York-based non-governmental organisation has done more than the US State Department and Office of Foreign Assets Control to identify sanctions-busting activities so far this year, including publishing a list of the 130 or so ships involved. While crude has flowed into China and Syria via complex but visible maritime logistics networks, the Biden administration’s sanctions have targeted Mexican drug lords, Pakistani human traffickers and regimes in China, Burma, Syria, Belarus, Yemen and Nicaragua. There have been few direct measures taken against subterfuge oil trades and the fleet of tankers supporting them.” 

Has Missing 'Ghost Armada' Aframax Tanker Been Spotted Off Iran?
On August 19, TradeWinds published a story regarding the missing tanker Winsom that quoted UANI research. “A US anti-nuclear lobby group claims it has located an aframax tanker, which has been missing since early July, off the coast of Iran using satellite imagery. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a not-for-profit organisation, said it believes it spotted the 106,000-dwt Winsome (built 2000) as recently as 11 August south of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The group used satellite imagery sourced from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel Hub… UANI has been tracking crude and gas condensate exports from Iran. It has been closely watching a total of 127 vessels — which it describes as a “ghost armada” — it suspects are breaking sanctions through involvement with Iranian exports.” 

Iran and Israel’s Naval War Is Expanding
A July 19 article in Foreign Policy regarding stepped-up naval confrontations between Iran and Israel quoted UANI research. “…Experts say that while U.S. sanctions have succeeded in blocking the movement of money through banking channels, they achieved little success in stopping Iran from selling crude at reduced prices for cash. Energy analysts have seen a steady rise in Iran’s oil exports since late last year. According to United Against Nuclear Iran, an advocacy group and a critic of the 2015 nuclear deal, Syria received the second-most oil barrels from Iran since December 2020; many times more were exported to China. Under recently unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel was accused of attacking a dozen Iranian ships, mostly those carrying fuel to Syria and some supplying arms to Iran’s proxies, but none headed toward China.” 

Research and Analysis 

Let's plug the sanctions gaps that enable Iran to sell oil to China and Venezuela
Writing in The Hill on October 19, UANI Research Director Daniel Roth and UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman recommend ways to strengthen oil related sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran: “For all the sanctions on Iran, Tehran has secured willing customers for its crucial oil and gas exports in the world’s leading authoritarian and communist regimes: Venezuela and China. Caracas has taken a creative route, first paying gold for oil and then bartering its own heavy crude for Iranian gas condensates. Beijing, by contrast, pays cash straight up — $280 billion in 2019, followed by a deal worth $400 billion this year… Yet Iran’s success in courting Venezuela and China does not mean that U.S. sanctions have failed. Sanctions have forced the regime to trade with a few like-minded authoritarian regimes. And crucially, sanctions have forced Iran to go to extraordinary lengths to conceal its illicit shipping commerce: satellite tracking deceptions, doctoring of records, flag- and name-switching, physical camouflage, and a host of other maritime violations. With a better understanding of the shipping subterfuge, the U.S. and its allies can make the whole rogue enterprise prohibitively costly for all parties, plugging enforcement gaps and truly squeezing Tehran.” 

Hezbollah Imports Iranian Fuel for Lebanon
In a September 15 blog, UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and UANI Research Analyst on Hezbollah and Lebanon David Daoud explain the ramifications of Hezbollah’s program to bring fuel to Lebanon from Iran: “From a purely pragmatic standpoint, Hezbollah has an interest in preventing Lebanon’s further descent into chaos. Not necessarily because it has suddenly discovered some long-lost sense of Lebanese patriotism, but because further collapse will have a detrimental impact on the group’s fortunes and its ability to continue its military, political, and social growth. Chaos is not conducive to expansion. Moreover, Hezbollah is interested in placating a periodically restive Lebanese street, including its supporters, who are suffering under the increasing weight of Lebanon’s unraveling. Periodically, fingers of blame for the crisis are pointed at Hezbollah, which risks eroding its support base over time. To survive the economic upheaval that has roiled Lebanon for almost two years, the group has been feeding its supporters a steady stream of propaganda, blaming all of the country’s woes on a “financial siege” by the United States, and positioning itself as Lebanon’s would-be savior. But propaganda won’t keep the lights on. To survive with minimal loss of supporters, Hezbollah will have to show that it – and not its foes among the protesters or political opponents – can act, deliver on its promises, and do so responsibly.” 

Worried About Iran? Don’t Invest in China
Writing in the Algemeiner on December 29, UANI Outreach Coordinator Bob Feferman reveals that China is largely responsible for enabling Iran to frustrate international sanctions by purchasing 70 percent of its illicit oil exports and suggests ways of financially sending a message to both countries: “Just as many American states have enacted divestment laws that prohibit their massive public pension funds from investment in companies that do business in Iran’s energy sector, individual investors can do the same, and refrain from investing in China.” 

June 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: More Foreign Flagged Tankers
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth report the launch of a new resource, the Iran Tanker Tracker, as part of UANI’s campaign to disrupt Tehran’s oil sales revenue The resource comprehensively tracks exports of Iranian oil through using UANI’s ship-tracking methodology dating back to April 2018. The Tracker provides a comparison of where Iran’s oil exports were pre-JCPOA, during the JCPOA, and post-JCPOA. Yet despite the sanctions and ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna, Iran’s exports of crude oil and gas condensates climbed back up to over 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, up by a quarter-million barrels from May’s 850,000 bpd figure. A major reason for this almost doubling is Iran’s addition of foreign-flagged tankers to its fleet. In June 2021, Iran used 14 different foreign-flagged tankers for oil exports. These tankers either called directly at Iran’s Kharg Island and ‘spoofed’ fake locations while there or engaged in a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer with a vessel from Iran’s sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). One year ago, Iran used only five different foreign-flagged tankers to export its oil. 

July 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: Getting Tough on China?
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth report UANI estimates Iran’s exports of crude oil and gas condensates at 843,233 barrels of oil per day (bpd) in July, with China again the single biggest importer and “destinations unknown” still accounting for more than half of the total. However, as vessel transponders are turned back on and destinations are updated, UANI’s export figures will be revised accordingly. Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden Administration was “considering” getting tough on the ongoing Chinese import of Iranian oil, due to concerns that Tehran might not return to the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA). While welcome, they note that cracking down on this trade should be a priority regardless of whether the JCPOA survives, given it would deprive Iran of approximately $8.5 billion for its military, its terrorist proxies around the world, and its nuclear, ballistic missile, and (increasingly) drone programs. Jungman and Roth also document the use of spoofing and the manipulation of AIS transponders by eight different foreign-flagged tankers, all destined for China. 

August 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: Are Ship-managers Deceiving Maritime Authorities?
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth report that as the Iran nuclear talks remain in a state of inertia, Iranian crude exports held steady for August, totaling just above 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), with China again the number one destination and Syria number two. Responding to UANI’s inquiries and claims about vessels carrying Iranian oil, Jungman and Roth note that some shipping registries, classification societies, and P&I clubs have relayed information supplied by ship-managers purporting to show oil loaded from Oman or Iraq -- not Iran.  UANI strongly believes this information is false and appears to indicate that ship-managers are stooping to fraud to deceive authorities and lay out UANI’s long correspondence with the Palau International Ship Registry (PISR), in which multiple pieces of evidence were presented that directly refute the false claims of ship managers. Clearly, claims by ship-managers that oil cargos originate from Iraq and Oman – when evidence shows otherwise – must be fully investigated, even when bills of lading and other apparently supporting evidence are presented. 

September 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: Leaning Gently on China
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth report that while the Biden administration is pressing China to reduce its Iran oil imports, it’s more of a gentle lean. They note that the same diplomatic language about using “a more effective path forward” to deal with the Iran issue was tried out in March and July. Six months later, the impact of these warnings has been less than zero. China has not paid the slightest heed to any American diplomatic overtures and continues to import millions of barrels of Iranian oil every month, providing the biggest single lifebuoy keeping the regime afloat and solvent. For September 2021, China imported at least 18 million barrels total (600,333 barrels per day), which will rise by several million as vessel transponders are re-enabled, and more accurate figures become available in the coming days. Jungman and Roth also note that Venezuela has now emerged as another headache for the U.S., having imported 2 million barrels of Iranian gas condensates in exchange for 1.9 million barrels of Venezuela's heavy crude oil in both August and September. And like China, Venezuela is also resorting to deceptive tactics to stave off any potential American intervention, however unlikely. 

October 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: China’s ‘Insatiable’ Appetite for Iranian Oil
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth report that Iranian exports again hit more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and gas condensate, and China’s share was just below 600,000 bpd, which will likely rise by another 100,000 barrels in as more data is gathered, in line with September’s total of 740,000 bpd. Evidently Beijing’s appetite remains insatiable, despite U.S. sanctions which supposedly ban the trade outright. While UANI has been alerting the world for more than two years to China’s blatant sanctions-busting activity, others are taking up the issue. Noted are op-eds in Foreign Affairs by UANI board member Michael Singh on the need to the widening sanctions gaps and in the Washington Post by UANI senior adviser Nikki Haley, observing that China is keeping Iran afloat economically. Jungman and Roth also report evidence of five ship-to-ship transfers in October in the South China Sea (SCS) and recommend that the time has come for President to show that American laws are worth more than just the paper they’re written on and punish the Chinese oil-importers, port authorities and refineries, the crude-carrying vessels and their transfer-partners, and the whole swarm of maritime services firms that make it all possible. 

November 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: Russia Buys Iranian Oil: Why?
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth take on a perplexing question: Why would Russia, the world’s number two oil producer, look to buy oil from Iran?  While the answer is not exactly clear, the fact remains that since August, UANI has tracked two Russian-flagged tankers with a combined 1.5 million barrels, apparently en-route to a small Russian port on the northern side of the Black Sea. In 2014, Russia and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding in which Moscow agreed to buy Iranian oil and in return, Iran would use the payments to buy and import Russian goods. A new agreement was reached in 2017 but by 2019, the deal appeared dead. Could it be that the ‘oil-for-goods’ barter program has been reinstated, with the two Russian-flagged tankers being sent out to test the Biden Administration’s resolve? Two months earlier, reporting on Venezuela’s import of Iranian oil, Jungman and Roth predicted “If the U.S. fails to levy serious costs on Caracas, we can expect other nations to probe just how committed the U.S. is to enforcing its own oil sanctions.” Maybe Russia is becoming the next to join the rogue importers’ club. 

December 2021 Iran Tanker Tracking: Iranian Oil Exports Jump 40 percent in 2021
UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth report that despite the American ban on Iranian oil trade, Tehran managed to dramatically increase its oil exports in 2021. By September 2021 Iran had already surpassed 2020’s total. In the nine months from January to September 2021, Iran exported almost 300 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensates, almost 100 million barrels more than the equivalent period in 2020. Comparing all of 2020 to 2021, Iran increased its export total by 123 million barrels – an increase of more than 40 percent. China was the number one recipient of Iranian oil by a distance, receiving 310 million barrels of crude oil and gas condensates, more than the combined exports to all destinations in 2020. They also noted that 10 non-sanctioned vessels carried a combined 107 million barrels of Iranian oil, all of which ended up in China, about 26 percent of all Iranian oil exported in 2021. Leading the list was ASTERIX (EX: PHOENIX) (IMO: 9181194) at 16,403,446 barrels, flag unknown. Also reported were regulators who took action in 2021. Zanzibar Maritime Authority of Tanzania revoked the flags of 11 vessels in 2021 due to their Iran involvement. The classification society Det Norske Veritas G.L. (DNV), headquartered in Norway, revoked the classification of 12 vessels. And the U.K.’s West of England P&I Club (West), revoked the insurance for 12 vessels due to Iran involvement. In addition, in December, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) withdrew the classification for the crude oil tanker ELSA (IMO: 9256468) following correspondence from UANI indicating the vessel was actively engaged in an STS in the Persian Gulf with the sanctioned NITC tanker SONIA I. 

Update on Iranian-Operated Vessels
In December, UANI Chief of Staff Claire Jungman and Research Director Daniel Roth published a table showing the status of 56 Iranian-operated tankers, their current load condition (laden or empty), the date the vessel was last seen on AIS, and when or where UANI trackers last saw the vessel. UANI estimates that approximately 58 million barrels of Iranian crude oil and gas condensates sit in floating storage and 17 million barrels of Iranian crude oil and gas condensates are in transit on Iranian tankers.