Tag: Iran

Iran dismissed accusations by the US that it was behind attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil plants and warned on Sunday that US bases and aircraft carriers in the region were in range of its missiles. The drone strikes were reported Saturday on plants in the heartland of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry.

Drone attacks on crucial Saudi Arabian oil facilities, which are among the world's most important energy production centers, have caused disruptions on around half of the country's oil capacity, or 5% of the worldwide oil supply. Yemen's Houthi rebels took responsibility for the attacks, noting that 10 drones aimed Saudi Aramco's oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais.

The presence of the UK warships in the Strait of Hormuz has stabilized the commercial shipping operations, following the tensions in the area after Iran seized a UK-flagged tanker in the region, a British navy official reported to Reuters.

An Iranian representative to London announced that the oil cargo of tanker Adrian Darya 1 - previously known as Grace 1 - was sold at sea to a private company, denying that Tehran had broken its promises over the vessel and highlighted that EU's Syria sanction do not apply to Tehran.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) welcomed the Iranian authorities release of seven crew members from the detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, but urged for a transparent solution to this matter for the release of the other 16 seafarers who remain onboard, away from their families. 

The British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which has been seized by Iran for almost two months, could be released after the imminent completion of legal proceedings against the tanker, Iranian state television reported on Sunday. 

Following a long journey across Mediterranean, the Iranian oil tanker 'Adrian Darya 1', which is at the centre of a major diplomatic dispute between Iran and the US, eventually arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus and sold its cargo, violating EU and US sanctions. 

Iran has seized a tugboat which was allegedly smuggling fuel on Saturday, September 7, and detained its 12 Filipino crew. Iranian TV reported that the vessel was transmitting about 284,000 litres of diesel. Iran hasn't provided additional information for the vessel, as under which flag its flying.

In an updated FAQs document, US OFAC clarifies that, even for vessels carrying lawful cargo to and from Iran, the provision of bunkers is unlawful and subject to US secondary sanctions, wherever it takes place, in the event the bunkering operation involves, inter alia, US financial institutions.

Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) is to sign a contract with the private sector for construction of the country's largest mineral mechanized terminal in Shahid Rajaee port, in the south part of the country. This is expected to be the largest mineral terminal in the Persian Gulf.