Paknejad “oversees tens of millions of dollars of Iranian oil exports and allocates billions of dollars worth of oil to Iranian export forces,” the US Treasury Department said in a statement Thursday.
The Treasury also said it had designated the owner or operator of the vessel that delivered Iranian oil to China or lifted it out of storage there. They said they were in several jurisdictions, including India and China.
Iranian troops rely on a vast fleet of shadowy ships to disguise billions of dollars worth of cargo into China, the Treasury allegedly claimed.
The designated ships on Thursday include Peace Hill, packed with Hong Kong and its owner, Hong Kong Heshun Transport Trading Limited, Iranian rank Polaris 1, Seychelles registered Fallon shipping company Ltd, and Liberia registered Itaugua service.
The US State Department designates three entities and three vessels as blocked assets.
Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of Iran’s nuclear deal in May 2018, and when he returned to the White House earlier this year, he reaffirmed his wasted maximum pressure campaign against Tehran. Iran said it would not negotiate under pressure.
In a speech on Wednesday, Ayatollah Seiyed Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Revolution, said he called the US president for negotiations with Iran as the UAE had visited Tehran to hand over Trump’s message.
The leader also issued a harsh warning to the United States, saying that retaliation would be critical and that if Americans and their allies launched a military attack on Iran, they would be the losers.
Ayatollah Khamenei further stated that Iran has learned how to greatly nourish oppressive sanctions by the frustration of its enemies.
MNA