US uncovers Iranian effort to help Syria evade oil embargo

Thursday, January 19, 2012

WASHINGTON –  U.S. officials have uncovered an effort by Iran to help Syria mask its oil exports and evade an American and European embargo, in a potent new sign of Tehran's campaign to bolster Syrian President Bashar al Assad as his regime cracks down on public opposition.

American officials investigating the Iranian operation said it was designed to quietly ship Syrian crude oil to Iran, where it can be sold on the international market, with revenue going back to Damascus. Transit records document one such shipment -- involving more than 100,000 tons of crude -- which took place last month.

"The oil shipment to Iran was designed to evade the sanctions that have been imposed on Syria," said a senior U.S. Treasury Department official familiar with the case.

In response, the treasury department has begun targeting the insurance and registration of international tankers shipping Syrian oil overseas. Many are insured in the U.S.

Concerns aren't limited to Iran. Washington and its allies are also intensifying the scrutiny of maritime and air traffic moving into Syria from Russia, as Moscow has publicly committed to continue arming Assad's security forces.

This month, Cyprus intercepted a St. Petersburg-based ship, the Chariot, that was moving four containers of munitions bound for the Syrian port of Tartus, according to Cypriot officials. Cyprus eventually released the ship after assurances from its Russian owners that it wouldn't complete the delivery, according to Cypriot officials.

But Moscow this week confirmed the arms shipment was made. The ship's owner, the Russian freight company Balchart, declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Iranian embassy at the UN said there are no international sanctions on Syria that Tehran needs to respect. He also said that outside powers, not Iran, have been feeding the conflict inside Syria by shipping in arms. "Syria is an independent country, and Iran respects its sovereignty," said the spokesman. "Iran believes that Syrians have the right to self-determination free from any foreign intervention."

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US Navy aids another Iranian fishing boat

For the third time this month, the U.S. Navy has come to the rescue of distressed Iranian fishermen -- at the same time Iran has threatened to disrupt a key oil route off its coast.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey rendered aid to the crew of a sinking Iranian fishing dhow in the central Arabian Sea, according to a Navy press release. 

A helicopter from the Maritime Strike Squadron 71 spotted the fishing boat Wednesday morning reportedly with one person on board. 

"Our first priority was to make sure that all of the crew (of the fishing vessel) was safe," Lt. Will Jourdan, pilot of the helicopter, said in the press release. 

After the the vessel had been identified, it was reported back to the Dewey's crew, who then moved in to help the fisherman who had fled the boat and boarded another. 

"Once we talked with their captain, it was clear that they needed food and water," Lt. J.G. Jason Dawson, the destroyer's visit, board, search and seizer team's leader, said in the press release. 

The crew then provided food, water and medical and hygienic supplies to the fisherman for more than two hours. 

Dewey was in the area conducting maritime security operations as part of a scheduled deployment with the John C. Stennis Strike Group. "I am extremely proud of our John C. Stennis Strike Group Sailors for demonstrating once again their readiness to render life-saving assistance at sea," Rear Adm. Craig Faller, said in the press release. 

The rescues come despite Iranian threats warning the U.S. Navy to keep its distance from the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran threatens to block if provoked over its nuclear program.

On Jan. 10, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monomy responded to flares fired from the Iranian cargo dhow, Ya-Hussayn, which was experiencing engine troubles. 

On Jan. 5, the USS Stennis Strike Group rescued 13 Iranian fisherman held hostage by pirates in the North Arabian Sea. 

Fox News' Justin Fishel contributed to this report. 

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Iran warns Arabs not to replace Iranian oil if it's embargoed

Monday, January 16, 2012

TEHRAN, Iran –  An Iranian pro-reform newspaper says the country's OPEC governor has warned the country's Arab neighbors that Tehran will view any increase in crude production to counterbalance a potential embargo on Iranian oil as an unfriendly act.

A Sunday report by Shargh daily quotes Mohammad Ali Khatibi as saying that Arab nations will be an "accomplice in the consequences," if they raise output to offset any potential loss of Iranian crude exports due to an embargo.

New U.S. sanctions against Iran approved last month target the country's central bank and, by extension, its ability to sell petroleum abroad. The U.S. has delayed implementing the sanctions for at least six months. The EU is also contemplating an embargo.

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Several suspects in custody in killing of Iranian nuclear scientist

TEHRAN, Iran –  An Iranian news website is reporting several suspects are in custody over last week's killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist.

Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said the suspects are being interrogated, and the investigation is continuing. He talked to Iran's state Arabic language TV channel Al-Alam, and his comments were carried on the Tabnak.ir site.

Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, an official in Iran's nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, was killed in an explosion Wednesday after attackers attached a bomb to his car in Tehran.

Iran accused the U.S., Britain and Israel of involvement.

Washington denied any role in the assassination, and London condemned the killing of civilians. Israel has not commented publicly.

The West believes Iran is building nuclear weapons. Iran denies that.

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Iran warns Arabs not to replace Iranian oil if it's embargoed

An Iranian pro-reform newspaper says the country's OPEC governor has warned the country's Arab neighbors that Tehran will view any increase in crude production to counterbalance a potential embargo on Iranian oil as an unfriendly act.

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warns,Arabs,replace,Iranian,embargoed

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US, Iranian ships involved in incidents in Strait of Hormuz

The incidents in the strait, one of the world's most important oil routes, occurred last week and involved the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock, and the Coast Guard Cutter Adak, the military said Friday in releasing videos of the incidents

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US, Iranian ships involved in incidents in Strait of Hormuz

Sunday, January 15, 2012

The incidents in the strait, one of the world's most important oil routes, occurred last week and involved the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock, and the Coast Guard Cutter Adak, the military said Friday in releasing videos of the incidents

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