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Friday, June 25, 2010

Iran: Flags of Convenience and Breaking Sanctions

Nice report of how Iran evades sanctions by the NYTimes at Web of Shell Companies Veils Trade by Iran’s Ships:
But an examination shows how Iran has used a succession of stratagems — changing not just ships’ flags and names but their owners, operators and managers, too — to stay one step ahead of its pursuers. This cat-and-mouse game offers a case study in the difficulties of enforcing sanctions.

“We are dealing with people who are as smart as we are, and of course they can read our list,” said Stuart A. Levey, the under secretary of the Treasury who oversees the sanctions effort and the blacklist of Irisl and its fleet.

That blacklist simply hasn’t kept up.
It's always a mistake to underestimate how wily your enemies are.

One of my earlier posts on flags of convenience involving that other "friend of the U.S.," North Korea.

Ship photo of vessel "Amplify" by Daniel Ferro from Shipspotting.com and used in accord with terms found there.

Hat tip to Information Dissemination.

3 comments:

  1. Mongolia has a ship registry and has reletions with the Norks. I will be well and truly pissed if they have lent their flag to a common enemy. I'll check around, but I would like to hear from someone with acsess to Lloyds list. Just so I can give my Mongolian father in law some grief.
    False flags and flags of convience are hell for those countries which attempt to stand up to the standards. former sailor here.

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  2. Anonymous8:01 AM

    Yet the NYT nor the US government seems to have no problem with the vast use of flags of convenience to get around labor, environmental and safety standards in the shipping industry. I guess if it makes a profit for a globalist corporation then flags of convenience are just fine but if a enemy of the globalists use it then its bad.

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  3. We find the status of democracy, the name of the ruler, or the religion of the people all to be irrelevant to our own USA interests. We have international interests and our foreign policy is to force those interests. As a super capitalistic nation, our interests are to manage the world resources for the sole benefit of USA. Any other independent position is not acceptable. As long as other nations recognize the USA national interests, we will have a supportive relationship.

    Eat American Freedom Fries.

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