The Justice Department announced Friday that it was seizing more than 500,000 barrels of internationally sanctioned Iranian fuel that officials said was illegally trafficked to provide funding for the country’s paramilitary force. In addition, prosecutors announced criminal charges related to the sale of the crude oil to buyers in China, Russia and Syria. “Iran presents a constant threat to the United States — trying to murder Americans right here within our borders, conducting a cyber-attack on a children’s hospital, supporting terrorists around the world, and more,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “All of Iran’s crimes cost money. And the FBI will remain committed to enforcing U.S. sanctions that keep money out of its coffers.”
Quick Read
- The Justice Department is seizing over 500,000 barrels of Iranian fuel, sanctioned internationally, due to illegal trafficking aimed at funding Iran’s paramilitary force.
- Criminal charges have been announced against individuals involved in the sale of crude oil to entities in China, Russia, and Syria.
- These actions are part of a larger effort to disrupt the funding of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, which is active in supporting Iranian-aligned militias in multiple countries.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized Iran’s threats to the U.S., including attempts to harm Americans domestically, cyber-attacks, and supporting terrorism globally. He stressed the FBI’s commitment to enforcing U.S. sanctions against Iran.
- Attorney General Merrick Garland stated the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to halt Iran’s illegal financing activities, highlighting the recent increase in such activities.
- In New York, a criminal case charges seven individuals, including members of a Turkish energy group and an IRGC leader, with using deceptive practices to sell oil to government-affiliated buyers in China, Russia, and Syria. Charges include terrorism-related crimes, sanctions evasion, fraud, and money laundering.
- Another case in Washington, D.C., involves charges against a Chinese woman and an Omani man for their roles in selling Iranian oil to Chinese government-owned refineries.
- These cases follow other significant charges unveiled by the Justice Department against Iranian individuals for various offenses, including a disrupted murder-for-hire plot on U.S. soil.
- The U.S. aims to seize more than 500,000 barrels of fuel valued at over $25 million, found on the Abyss oil tanker, identified through satellite photos and maritime data as involved in a potential ship-to-ship transfer with the tanker Oceania.
- Additionally, the U.S. has seized $108 million associated with this illegal scheme.
The Associated Press has the story:
US moves to seize over 500K barrels of allegedly trafficked Iranian oil
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Justice Department announced Friday that it was seizing more than 500,000 barrels of internationally sanctioned Iranian fuel that officials said was illegally trafficked to provide funding for the country’s paramilitary force.
In addition, prosecutors announced criminal charges related to the sale of the crude oil to buyers in China, Russia and Syria.
Officials described the actions, which come at time of simmering tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as part of a broader effort to disrupt funding to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, an expeditionary unit believed to be working abroad in countries like Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen to back Iranian-allied militias.
“Iran presents a constant threat to the United States — trying to murder Americans right here within our borders, conducting a cyber-attack on a children’s hospital, supporting terrorists around the world, and more,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “All of Iran’s crimes cost money. And the FBI will remain committed to enforcing U.S. sanctions that keep money out of its coffers.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that “the Justice Department will continue to use every authority we have to cut off the illegal financing and enabling of Iran’s malicious activities, which have become even more evident in recent months.”
One criminal case, filed in New York, charges seven people — including multiple officers of a Turkish energy group and a leader within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — with using front companies, false documentation and manipulated location and shipping data to sell to government-affiliated buyers in China, Russia and Syria.
The charges include crimes related to terrorism, sanctions evasion, fraud and money laundering.
A separate criminal case filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., charges a Chinese woman and an Omani man for their alleged involvement in the sale of Iranian oil to refineries owned by the Chinese government.
The cases are the latest major ones related to Iran unsealed by the Justice Department this week. On Monday, prosecutors announced charges against an Iranian national accused of conspiring with two Canadians in a murder-for-hire plot on U.S. soil that was ultimately disrupted.
The more than 500,000 barrels of fuel that the U.S. is moving to seize were valued at over $25 million aboard the Abyss oil tanker. The Associated Press in March 2023 analyzed satellite photos and maritime tracking data to place the Abyss in a key Asian maritime strait next to the crude oil tanker Oceania for a possible ship-to-ship transfer.
The U.S. also says it seized $108 million that was used as part of the scheme.
