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WORLD NEWS Monday 21 august 2023
A tanker believed to hold sanctioned Iran oil starts

offloading near Texas

By JON GAMBRELL of Iowa, one of the letter's
Associated Press co-signers, said in a state-
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- ment Sunday that "no for-
ates (AP) — An American- eign adversary should ques-
owned oil tanker long sus- tion America's strength."
pected of carrying sanc- "To ensure this never hap-
tioned Iranian crude oil pens again, the Biden ad-
offloaded its cargo near ministration must enforce
Texas on Sunday, tracking our existing sanctions, stop
data showed, even as Teh- greenlighting the (Guard's)
ran has threatened to tar- terrorism and hostage 'di-
get shipping in the Persian plomacy' and end this pos-
Gulf over it. ture of appeasement to a
Ship-tracking data ana- This image provided by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard via nation that chants 'death
lyzed by The Associated Tasnim News Agency on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, shows the USS to America,'" she said.
Bataan at the Strait of Hormuz, in the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Press showed the Marshall Associated Press The U.S. Treasury has said
Islands-flagged Suez Ra- Iran's oil smuggling revenue
jan began the hourslong jan began in February 2022, tions in the Persian Gulf in supports the Quds Force,
ship-to-ship transfer of its oil when the group United recent days also warned of the expeditionary unit of
to another tanker, the MR Against Nuclear Iran said it an increased risk of ship sei- the Revolutionary Guard
Euphrates, near Galves- suspected the tanker car- zures from Iran around the that operates across the
ton, some 70 kilometers (45 ried oil from Iran's Khargh Is- Strait of Hormuz. Mideast.
miles) southeast of Hous- land, its main oil distribution Iran's 2015 nuclear deal Claire Jungman, the chief
ton. terminal in the Persian Gulf. with world powers saw it of staff at United Against
The fate of the cargo For months, the ship sat in regain the ability to sell oil Nuclear Iran, praised the
aboard the Suez Rajan has the South China Sea off openly on the international transfer finally happening.
become mired in the wider the northeast coast of Sin- market. But in 2018, then- "By depriving the (Guard)
tensions between the U.S. gapore before suddenly President Donald Trump of crucial resources, we
and the Islamic Republic, sailing for the Gulf of Mex- unilaterally withdrew from strike a blow against ter-
even as Tehran and Wash- ico without explanation. the accord and re-im- rorism that targets not only
ington work toward a trade Analysts believe the ves- posed American sanctions. American citizens but also
of billions of dollars in frozen sel's cargo likely has been That slammed the door our global allies and part-
Iranian assets in South Ko- seized by American offi- on much of Iran's lucrative ners," Jungman told the AP.
rea for the release of five cials, though there still were crude oil trade, a major en- On Sunday, Iranian state
Iranian-Americans held in no public court documents gine for its economy and media released a vid-
Tehran. Iran has been try- early Sunday involving the its government. It also be- eo dated Thursday that
ing to evade sanctions Suez Rajan. gan a cat-and-mouse hunt showed the USS Bataan
and continue selling its oil In the meantime, Iran has for Iranian oil cargo — as with small Guard fast boats
abroad, while the U.S. and seized two tankers near well as series of escalating trailing it as it traveled
its allies have been seizing the Strait of Hormuz, includ- attacks attributed to Iran through the Strait of Hor-
cargoes since 2019 after ing one with cargo for U.S. since 2019. muz, the narrow mouth of
the country's nuclear deal oil major Chevron Corp. In The delay in offloading the the Persian Gulf through
allowing the trade col- July, the top commander of Suez Rajan's cargo had which 20% of the world's
lapsed. the Revolutionary Guard's become a political issue oil passes. One portion
Already, Iran's paramilitary naval arm threatened fur- as well for the Biden ad- appeared to have been
Revolutionary Guard has ther action against anyone ministration as the ship had taken from a drone above
warned that those involved offloading the Suez Rajan, sat for months in the Gulf the Bataan, while another
in offloading the Suez Ra- with state media linking the of Mexico, possibly due to claimed that the Guard
jan's cargo "should expect recent seizures to the car- companies being worried hailed the Bataan over the
to be struck back." The go's fate. about the threat from Iran. radio and threatened to
U.S. Navy has increased "We hereby declare that In a letter dated Wednes- "open fire" on an American
its presence steadily in re- we would hold any oil com- day, a group of Demo- helicopter if it entered Ira-
cent weeks in the Mideast, pany that sought to unload cratic and Republican U.S. nian airspace.
sending the troop-and-air- our crude from the vessel senators asked the White Cmdr. Rick Chernitzer, a
craft-carrying USS Bataan responsible and we also House for an update on spokesman for the U.S.
through the Strait of Hor- hold America responsible," what was happening with Navy's Bahrain-based 5th
muz in recent days and Rear Adm. Alireza Tangsiri the ship's cargo, estimated Fleet, acknowledged to
considering putting armed said at the time. "The era to be worth some $56 mil- the AP that the Bataan
personnel on commercial of hit and run is over, and if lion. They said the money had transited through the
ships traveling through the they hit, they should expect could go toward the U.S. strait in recent days. A pho-
strait to stop Iran from seiz- to be struck back." Victims of State Sponsored tograph earlier released
ing additional ships. Iran's mission to the United Terrorism Fund, which com- by the Navy showed F-35
U.S. officials and the own- Nations did not respond to pensates those affected fighter jets providing cover
ers of the Suez Rajan, the a request for comment over by the Sept. 11 attacks, the for the Bataan and the USS
Los Angeles-based private the offloading of the Suez 1979 Iran hostage crisis and Carter Hall, a landing ship
equity firm Oaktree Capital Rajan. The state-run IRNA other militant assaults. accompanying it.
Management, did not re- news agency acknowl- "We owe it to these Ameri- "The U.S. Navy will continue
spond to requests for com- edged this AP story, but did can families to enforce our to fly and sail where inter-
ment. not elaborate. Western- sanctions," the letter read. national law allows," Cher-
The saga over the Suez Ra- backed naval organiza- Republican Sen. Joni Ernst nitzer said.q