Panama removes over 650 ships from registry amid sanctions, stricter rules

Panama responded to criticism by non-governmental organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which last week said Panama had not taken sufficient action against sanction violators and asked it to "immediately cease facilitating Iran's illicit oil trade" and withdraw its flag from all tankers carrying Iranian oil.
According to UANI, nearly one in five vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil sails under Panama's flag.
"This is not just a failure of Panama's registry. It's a direct threat to global sanctions compliance and regional and U.S. security," it said.