US sanctions firms it says sent Iranian oil to China
The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on more than 20 companies in a network that it said has long sent Iranian oil to China, days after negotiators from Iran and the United States concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks.
The network facilitated the shipment of oil worth billions of dollars to China on behalf of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy, Treasury said.
The department sanctioned companies including CCIC Singapore PTE, which it said helped Sepehr by concealing the oil's Iranian origins and carried out pre-delivery inspections required before oil was transferred to China. It also sanctioned Huangdao Inspection and Certification Co for having assisted Sepehr.
Treasury also sanctioned Qingdao Linkrich International Shipping Agency Co which it said has assisted Sepehr Energy-chartered vessels with their arrival and discharge at Qingdao Port as its designated port agent.
The sale of the oil helped fund the development of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, nuclear proliferation, and attacks by the Houthi militant group on shipping in the Red Sea, the US Navy and Israel, said Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman.
People attend the 29th Iran International Oil, Gas, Refining, and Petrochemical Exhibition at the Tehran International Exhibition Complex on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE
'We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable,' Bruce said.
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