The US successfully seized Iranian gas on the high seas
“These actions represent the government’s largest-ever seizure of fuel shipments from Iran,” the US Justice Department said.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANIran's refurbished mockup aircraft carrier (C-L), used previously as a simulated U.S. target during a February, 2015 Iranian naval war games exercise, is seen at its home port of Bandar Abbas, Iran February 15, 2020(photo credit: MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
While not exactly a fascinating operation involving helicopters roping special forces down to the bridge of ships, the US was able to offload Iranian gas that was being exported to Venezuela. The details of the US seizing the gas on board the tankers was part of an effort by Washington to stop multi-million-dollar fuel shipments to Caracas that violate US sanctions.“These actions represent the government’s largest-ever seizure of fuel shipments from Iran,” the US Justice Department said.The US has vowed to cut Iranian exports of oil and gas to near zero. Iran has a capacity to produce 3.7 million barrels of oil per day and consumes some 1.7 million of them a day. The US has cut Iranian oil exports by 2.7 million barrels a day, Reuters reports on August 20, 2019.But sanctions don’t cut everything. A convoy of Iranian vessels was detected near Syria’s Baniyas port earlier this year, supposedly carrying some 6.8 million barrels of oil. Groups like Tanker Trackers help track these types of shipments. Iran is also storing some 30 million barrels of oil at sea in a fleet of supertankers, reports indicated in May.This “floating storage” may have reached 50 million barrels by July. Last July a tanker named Grace 1 was briefly interdicted with 2.1 million barrels on the way to Syria. In retaliation Iran seized a British tanker.Iran exports gasoline to Venezuela because the country badly needs gasoline, not oil which it already produces itself. Earlier this year five Iranian tankers were loaded with gas and sailed to Venezuela, arriving in May. These brought millions of barrels of gas and the US vowed to stop further shipments.On July 2, it was revealed that four more ships were heading to Caracas. The US has now not only seized the shipment but says cash from it could go to victims of terror.How did the “forfeiture” take place. Around 1.116 million barrels of cargo was taken from the tankers, named Bella, Pandi, Luna and Bering. The ships were stopped without military force however. The website Trade Winds notes that “it appears ownership interests off the four agreed to a ship-to-ship transfer.” Pressure was brought on the owners. The ships had already switched off their AIS transponders to make it harder to find them. Bella and Bering were the first to do so, followed by Pandi and Luna. The four ships are Liberian-flagged and are linked to IMS and George Gialozoglou, Trade Winds claimed.The New York Times said the US informed Gialozoglou that the shipments would violate US sanctions. The Wall Street Journal noted that “Giorgios and Marios Gialozoglou manage or own a network of Piraeus, Greece-based companies.” Samir Madani of Tanker Trackers noted that the ship to ship transfers were carried out in the Atlantic Ocean and Arabian Sea. Pandi and Luna were last seen in the Gulf of Oman while Bering and Bella were thought to be transiting the Mediterranean for the Atlantic.The announcement by the US came as Washington was losing an attempt at the UN to extend an arms embargo. The seizing of the fuel without any major incident reflects a success story for the Trump administration. Currently the administration’s point person on Iran, Brian Hook, is on the way out and Elliot Abrams will assume his role. The confiscation of the gas may be Hook’s last real success in his position. He was supposed to be coordinating maximum pressure on Iran since September 2018.
