[News] Piracy - US sells 1.1m barrels of Iran oil after seizure - bound for Venezuela

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201031-us-sells-1-1m-barrels-of-iran-oil-after-seizure/ 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201031-us-sells-1-1m-barrels-of-iran-oil-after-seizure/> 



  US sells 1.1m barrels of Iran oil after seizure

October 31, 2020
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The US Justice Department has announced that Washington sold around 1.1 
million barrels of Iranian oil from four tankers headed for Venezuela, 
/Anadolu Agency/ reported on Friday.

“Upon being presented with the court’s seizure order, the ships’ owner 
transferred the petroleum to the government, and we can now announce 
that the United States has sold and delivered that petroleum,” Deputy 
Attorney General John Demers announced on Thursday in a press release.

Defending that the sale of oil to Caracas benefited the Islamic 
Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated foreign terrorist group, 
Demers confirmed: “It is therefore with great satisfaction that I can 
announce that our intentions are to take the funds successfully 
forfeited from the fuel sales and provide them to the US Victims of 
State Sponsored Terrorism Fund after the conclusion of the case.”

In July, federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit to seize the gasoline 
aboard the four tankers that Iran was trying to ship to Venezuela, 
aiming to prevent the revenues from reaching Iran.

*Read: US seized websites allegedly linked to Iran-Venezuela oil deal 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200902-us-seized-websites-allegedly-linked-to-iran-venezuela-oil-deal/>*

In August, US President Donald Trump’s administration announced that it 
carried out “the largest seizure of fuel shipments from Iran,” for which 
Venezuela had already paid.

The South American country faces gasoline supply problems due to the 
coercive US sanctions 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201026-us-issues-fresh-iran-related-sanctions-targeting-state-oil-sector/>, 
since crude oil is the country’s main export.

Iran’s economy which is dependent on oil exports also suffers from the 
US reinstating crippling economic sanctions 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201029-us-imposes-iran-related-sanctions-files-forfeiture-complaints/>, 
with many countries cutting down on oil imports from Iran, fearing 
economic penalties from Washington.

Due to these sanctions, Venezuela and Iran agreed to exchange fuel to 
supply the South American country.

*Read: Despite threats, sanctions by US, Iran plane lands in Venezuela 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201028-despite-threats-sanctions-by-us-iran-plane-lands-in-venezuela/>*

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