OFAC Sanctions Network Moving Iranian Oil to China
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of people, companies and ships that it said are moving millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China on behalf of the Iranian military and a sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars (see 2311290034).
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The designations, which are the first imposed under the new Trump administration, target people and entities in China, India, the United Arab Emirates and other countries along with their vessels. OFAC said some of the companies help Sepehr Energy use “deceitful evasion methods,” such as falsified shipping documents, to hide the fact that they’re moving Iranian oil, which had helped to generate billions of dollars each year for Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff.
OFAC said the Comoros-flagged and sanctioned oil tanker Anthea, also known as the Siri, is operating off the coast of Singapore and carrying millions of barrels of Iranian oil for Sepehr Energy. The Siri is “obfuscating its identity” by operating as the New Prime, OFAC said, adding that its “master,” Iranian national Arash Lavian, has falsified its shipping documents and hid its true name to “conceal that the vessel is sanctioned.”
India-based crew management company Marshal Ship Management Private Limited has provided crew members for the Siri, OFAC said, and Indian national Ryan Xavier Aranha acts as a director for the company.
The agency also sanctioned the Cameroon-flagged Oxis, owned by Seychelles-based Miletus Line Ltd, for delivering oil to China, and the Panama-flagged Gioiosa, owned by Hong Kong-based Gozoso Group Ltd, for transporting over 700,000 barrels of Iranian oil to China. Hong Kong-based Ocean Dolphin Ship Management Ltd. was the ship manager and operator of the Gioiosa, and Kazakhstan-based and Seychelles-registered Umbra Navi Ship Management Corp was the technical manager of the Oxis for these deliveries.
OFAC also sanctioned Iranian military official Jamshid Eshaghi for his ties to Sepehr Energy and oil shipments to China, and it designated several Sepehr Energy subsidiaries based in Iran, including Sepehr Energy Hamta Pars, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Taban and Sepehr Energy Paya Gostar Jahan. Farshad Ghazi is the managing director of Sepehr Energy Hamta Pars, Farbod Mohseni Ahari is the chairman of Sepehr Energy Paya Gostar Jahan, and Mohammad Ali Riazi Kolahdozmahaleh has served as the chairman of the board of directors for multiple Sepehr Energy companies, OFAC said.
The agency also designated the Panama-flagged CH Billion and the Hong Kong-flagged Star Forest for moving Iranian oil to China as recently as January. Hong Kong-based Young Folks International Trading Co., Limited is the registered owner, ship manager and operator of the CH Billion, and China-based Lucky Ocean Shipping Limited is the operator and manager of the Star Forest.