Biden's Bold Move: US Seizes One Million Barrels of Iranian Oil in Historic Criminal Resolution
The Biden administration confirms seizure of nearly one million barrels of Iranian oil, in the first-ever criminal resolution involving illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil, causing heightened tensions in the Gulf.
The Biden administration has confirmed its seizure of nearly one million barrels of Iranian oil earlier this year, marking the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that facilitated the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil. The oil, which was seized from the tanker Suez Rajan, is the subject of a civil forfeiture action after the shipping company operating the vessel pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate US sanctions.
How significant is latest US seizure of illicit Iranian oil shipment?
— Shehzad Younis شہزاد یونس (@shehzadyounis) September 8, 2023
The US government said entities affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had sought to smuggle the oil to China.
https://t.co/mC7jZ0uSR8
The US Department of Justice hailed the successful disruption of a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designated as a foreign terrorist organization in the US. The seizure of Iranian oil heightened tensions in the Gulf, with Iran accusing the US of piracy and the US accusing Iran of seizing international ships in the region.
The US is seeking a court order to gain possession of the oil based on its terrorism and money laundering laws. The seizure comes at a time when the US and Iran are finalizing a prisoner swap deal and seeking to revive talks over the 2015 nuclear deal.
