US to Start Issuing Warnings Against Storing Iranian Oil

Trump administration will soon issue consulting warning shippers, port officials and insurance companies against the practice of storing Iranian oil and avoiding US sanctions on Iran, a senior State Department official said on Monday

“We will target and designate anybody that stores Iranian oil, petrochemicals or refined petroleum in violation of US sanctions, no matter where they are," said David Peyman, the deputy assistant secretary of state for counter threat finance and sanctions, according to Reuters.

Peyman also said the United States will encourage ship captains to take photos, and submit them to the US government, of anyone conducting ship-to-ship transfers in case those transfers involve sanctioned oil.

In addition, he said the advisories will warn shipping vessels against turning off tracking devices in an effort to avoid US sanctions on Iran.

"Transponders that provide the location of vessels should never be turned off. If they are, that presents a risk that requires heightened diligence," Peyman told the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank that supports tough sanctions on Iran.

The International Maritime Organization requires vessels to use transponders for safety and transparency. Crews can turn off the devices if there is a danger of piracy or similar hazards. But transponders are often shut off to conceal a ship's location during illicit activities.

The Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and soon after unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports, saying it wants to bring the shipments down to zero. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.