US sanctions corporations that transported Iranian oil to China
The United States has enacted sanctions against companies it alleges facilitated the transfer of Iranian oil to China. The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on over 20 companies within a network that it claims has been consistently supplying Iranian oil to China, just days after negotiators from Iran and the United States wrapped up a fourth round of nuclear discussions. The network enabled the transfer of oil valued at billions of dollars to China, representing the interests of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its associated entity, Sepehr Energy, according to the Treasury.
The department imposed sanctions on companies such as CCIC Singapore PTE, which it claimed assisted Sepehr by obscuring the Iranian origins of the oil and conducted the necessary pre-delivery inspections prior to the transfer of oil to China. Huangdao Inspection and Certification Co Ltd was also sanctioned for its role in assisting Sepehr. Treasury has also imposed sanctions on Qingdao Linkrich International Shipping Agency Co Ltd, which it claims has facilitated the arrival and discharge of vessels chartered by Sepehr Energy at Qingdao Port, acting as its designated port agent.
The sale of the oil facilitated the financing of Iranian ballistic missile and drone development, nuclear proliferation, and assaults by the Houthi militant group on shipping in the Red Sea, as well as on the U.S. Navy and Israel, stated Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the State Department. Analysts have indicated that the measures have intensified pressure on Iran and China; however, it is suggested that Washington would need to impose sanctions on China’s state-owned enterprises to achieve a more significant impact.
Tehran and Washington have both expressed a preference for diplomacy to address the longstanding nuclear dispute; however, significant divisions persist regarding several critical issues, particularly the enrichment of uranium in Iran.
