PANAMA CITY (AFP) – The US envoy on Wednesday known as on Panama to stop Iranian vessels from flying its flag. This would enable the Iranian authorities to keep away from sanctions imposed by the US authorities.
Publication date: 13/03/2024 – 22:17
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This small Central American nation is a world chief in offering flags of comfort. Flags of comfort enable delivery corporations to register their ships in unrelated international locations with out paying a charge and subjecting them to scrutiny.
“Iran and Iranian-affiliated actors are attempting to evade sanctions right here in Panama. They are attempting to use Panama’s flag registry,” Abram Paley, the U.S. deputy particular envoy for Iran, mentioned in a press release.
Paley was visiting the nation “to make sure that Panamanian ship registration and jurisdiction is just not abused by teams searching for to evade sanctions in opposition to Iran.”
The US authorities suspects a few of it’s being utilized by Iran to move oil and its derivatives to avoid sanctions.
Iran has been below crippling U.S. sanctions since Washington withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal in 2018.
At least six vessels flying the Panamanian flag have violated these sanctions since January, Paley mentioned.
The US authorities has accused Iran of utilizing proceeds from oil gross sales to fund Yemen’s Houthi rebels and teams resembling Hezbollah and Hamas.
Experts say fraudulent ship homeowners use flags of comfort to avoid environmental rules, labor legal guidelines, and even cover the possession of a selected vessel altogether.
“We stay up for the continued cooperation of the Panamanian authorities in accordance with its home legal guidelines and worldwide obligations,” Paley mentioned.
© 2024 AFP