The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added the captains of five Iranian flagged tankers that delivered gasoline to Venezuela to its Specially Designated National and Blocked Persons List.
In a statement issued by OFAC yesterday (24 June), US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said: ‘The Treasury Department will target anyone who supports Iranian attempts to evade United States sanctions and who further enables their destabilising behaviour around the world.
‘The Iranian regime’s support to the authoritarian and corrupt regime in Venezuela is unacceptable, and the Administration will continue to use its authorities to disrupt it.’
The OFAC statement said the five Iranian-flagged tankers were the Clavel, Petunia, Fortune, Forest and Faxon, operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC).
The five captains who have been added to the SDN List are: Ali Danaei Kenarsari, master of the Clavel; Mohsen Gohardehi, master of the Petunia; Alireza Rahnavard, the master of the Fortune; Reza Vaziri, the master of the Forest; and Hamidreza Yahya Zadeh, the master of the Faxon.
The OFAC statement added: ‘As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these targets that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons is blocked and must be reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.
‘In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals identified today may themselves be exposed to sanctions or subject to an enforcement action. Furthermore, unless an exception applies, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction(s) for any of the individuals or entities designated today could be subject to U.S. sanctions.’
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