Washington Tightens the Siege on Tehran.. New Sanctions Targeting a Network for Smuggling Iranian Oil
In the context of anticipation for the fate of the return of UN sanctions on Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department announced today, Tuesday, September 2, a new package of sanctions targeting a network accused of smuggling Iranian oil.
A statement published on the department's website stated that "the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a prominent businessman and his network of companies and ships that smuggle Iranian oil under the guise of Iraqi oil to evade U.S. sanctions." The statement added that this network "generates more than $300 million annually for Tehran."
The department indicated that this step comes as a decisive action "to stop the flow of revenues to the Iranian regime as a result of its destructive and destabilizing behavior in Iraq, the Middle East, and around the world."
The statement identified the entities subject to sanctions as a network of companies and ships led by businessman Walid Al-Samarrai, who holds Iraqi and Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship, accused of smuggling Iranian oil under the guise of Iraqi oil.
The U.S. announcement comes at a critical time, as the three European countries (France, Germany, and the UK) last week relaunched the process of reactivating UN sanctions on Iran in a message sent to the Security Council. However, these countries clarified that "this step aims to push the Iranian side to seek a solution and return to negotiations with the United States, and to cooperate more with the International Atomic Energy Agency."
It is worth noting that Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on Iran covering various sectors since its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement during President Donald Trump's first term in 2018, and his administration did not hesitate in his second term to impose more, at a time when the Iranian economy is facing several challenges.
