News   /   IN-DEPTH   /   Foreign Policy   /   Editor's Choice

US Piracy: Iranian crude seized, redirected and sold

US seizes, redirect then sells oil belonging to Iran in an act of blatant piracy. 6 June 2021. (Image: Press TV Composite.)

When the US Energy Information Agency released its latest report last week, commodities traders in the US were quite surprised by one of the statistics given, which included Iranian crude oil for the first time in decades.

The US government statistics and court documents show the US has sold about 2 million barrels of Iranian crude, after seizing an oil tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

American authorities say they brought the Liberian flagged tanker, Achilleas, to Houston, Texas in March; it was ordered to discharge its cargo at the port of Galveston.

The crude oil from the vessel, which the US claims was transporting Iranian oil, was then sold for $110 million.

American officials say the tanker was covertly transporting the cargo to China, in violation of US sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

US court documents also alleged the vessel was subject to forfeiture under American anti terrorism statutes.

Some observers have described the seizure as illegal under international law and argue that it amounts to piracy.

I mean it is piracy!  It's amazing that the United States can appropriate to itself the right to do such things.

This exceeds even the Roman Empire and the Roman Empire was a cruel empire within its boundaries, but it couldn't go outside of its boundaries and tell the rest of the world what to do.

Hugh Becker, ANSWER Coalition

Anti-Iran hawk, former US President Donald Trump, has been gone for months now. But the United States has kept up its anti Iran policies under Democratic President, Joe Biden.

The recent seizure of the oil tanker was a stark reminder that America's anti Iran measures are not ending.

Many such measures were re-imposed by former US President Donald Trump, who abandoned the hard earned 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

His successor Joe Biden says sanctions are not exactly his favorite, but the anti Iran measures are being fully enforced under his watch.

The Islamic Republic's oil, shipping and banking, are among the sector's targeted by America's unilateral sanctions. Iran has repeatedly described America's measures as economic war.

The American sanctions mechanism has made it extremely difficult for Iran to purchase some essential goods such as medicines.

The American president promised a shift in US policy on Iran, but he has so far failed to fulfill his campaign pledge to change course.

As far its foreign policy goes this is a truly the neo-con foreign policy. These are the actors from the Obama administration, people who had key roles when Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State, like Campbell, and Sullivan, people who are now in these critical positions inside the administration and Samantha Power at AIG and so on and so forth, who really were able to impose the most terrible sanctions on Iran.

Hugh Becker, ANSWER Coalition

The United States and Iran say they are willing to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA.

Iran and the remaining parties to the deal, namely, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have held several rounds of talks in Vienna, aimed at restoring the half dead nuclear deal.

Diplomats from the United States have been present in Vienna, and talking with their P4+1 counterparts.

There have been some signs of progress in Vienna, raising hopes for a revival of the international nuclear agreement.

But critics believe that even if the US returns to the deal, past experience shows that there is no guarantee that the US will honor its commitments in the future.

 


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku