State Department Continues Combatting Iran's Illicit Oil Sales

The US Department of State recently announced new sanctions against certain commercial entities for aiding Iran’s global illicit oil sales. 

Sanctions target a crude oil and petroleum products storage terminal in the port of Huizhou in China for allegedly receiving nearly one million barrels of Iranian crude oil. 

The sanctions come as the State Department leads a fierce international fight to prevent Iran’s circumvention of US sanctions on Iran’s oil sector. 

Iran has been reportedly funneling funds from its oil sales towards developing nuclear weapons and financing terrorist groups throughout the world.

Prior to the latest sanctions, the US government sanctioned sundry entities allegedly forming part of a covert network of foreign tankers transporting and selling Iranian oil.   

Referred to as Iran’s ‘Ghost Fleet,’ the network reportedly includes hundreds of vessels from different countries. 

The United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) organization has listed Ghost Fleet tankers as sporting flags from Panama, Vietnam, Russia, Bahamas, and others.

President Trump’s foreign policy officials including State Secretary Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz support the notion that applying pressure on Iran will dissuade it from nuclear arms development and financing terrorists. 

“The Iranian regime uses the revenue it generates from these sales to finance attacks on U.S. allies, support terrorism around the world, and pursue other destabilizing actions,” reads a State Department statement. 

According to the State Department, China is “by far” Iran’s largest oil purchaser, and the sanctions on the terminal in the port of Huzhou are designed to punish such purchases. 

“These sanctions are being imposed pursuant to President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign to drive Iran’s oil exports, including to China, to zero,” continued the State Department.