US seizes nearly 1 million barrels of Iranian oil allegedly bound for China
US seizes nearly 1 million barrels of Iranian oil allegedly bound for China
The US government seized nearly 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil allegedly bound for China, according to newly unsealed court documents and a statement released by the Department of Justice on Friday.
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They could at least give Iran back their oil. This is like when cops steal your jewelry and claim civil forfeiture.
The contraband cargo is now the subject of a civil forfeiture action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The United States’ forfeiture complaint alleges that the oil aboard the vessel is subject to forfeiture based on U.S. terrorism and money laundering statutes.
The complaint alleges a scheme involving multiple entities affiliated with Iran’s IRGC and the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to covertly sell and transport Iranian oil to a customer abroad. Participants in the scheme attempted to disguise the origin of the oil using ship-to-ship transfers, false automatic identification system reporting, falsified documents and other means. The complaint further alleges that the charterer of the vessel used the U.S. financial system to facilitate the transportation of Iranian oil
Iran is not bound by US law. You do understand that? Right? Right?
Lool read what I just post. Iran is irrelevant
This entire story is about Iran. They are a sovereign country. It doesn’t matter what laws the US makes up and uses to justify piracy.
US company, China, US money and multiple moves made to avoid US government from knowing.
Sure kid
Again daughter, Iran is not bound by US law. Recursive logic is still recursive.
Okay well you're just wrong I can't help you
If I were wrong, there would be no wars. Why do you think countries fight with each other? It’s because sovereign nations can’t tell other sovereign nations what to do.
The EU also has sanctions on Iran so a Greek company broke the sactions imposed by its country. They used the US banking system to transfer the money as well and the USA upheld the sanctions of another country.
I don't know why nobody else pointed that out.
If Russia placed a sanction on the United States and started seizing transport ships, would that be legal?
If any part from purchase to delivery touched Russia or any other country that is sanctioning the USA, yes.
It's kind of how sanctions are enforced.
Okay, so the Russian sanctions are hurting the American economy, causing unemployment and starvation. So, the US thinks the sanctions are illegal and decide to smuggle hamburgers to Europe for money. Russia intercepts the ships and confiscates the burgers. America objects, but is overruled by Russia and its financial institutions. Should the United States agree with the legality of the situation, even though they never agreed to the sanctions and their people are starving? Also, is it okay for Russia to do this even though it unduly hurts the people of America?
If you tried to transport a kilo of Mexican cocaine through another country and were caught, do you really think Mexico would get its cocaine back?
So America owns the oceans blue?
No, but they control what happens aboard ships that fly American flags.
Do you think the ocean is some sort of lawless no man's land, where captains do as they please with crew and passengers?
Well, it isn't. The ship has a flag, and while aboard you follow the laws of that flag.
Yep. But you’re not mentioning why this happened. The Sanctions. Which are…tada- arbitrary and illegal.
They are not illegal. All sovereign countries can refuse to trade with any other country or restrict the use of their own currency.
Which is all that these sanctions amount to.
I should have said unethical or extrajudicial. The United States is preventing a sovereign country from trading. Just because it is “legal” by American law doesn’t make it ethical. You can argue the legality. You may even agree with the ethics. But it is outside international law and condemned by the UN. I never argued the legality of the U.S. law. I am arguing that the sanctions are inhumane and unnecessary. So the ship should have never been seized.
Trade embargoes do not violate international law. Otherwise, we would condemn Iran for its embargo against Israel. But Iran is free to pursue whatever trade policy it wants.
And don't confuse a statement by a UN employee for a statement by the UN.
Iran sanctions are meant to slow their nuclear program and thus de-escalate the region. It's possible they are now counterproductive. But it's also possible that without them, a paranoid right wing Israeli government would have openly attacked Iran by now. So it may well be the lesser evil.
Trade embargoes do not violate international law.
International laws do not exist. Source. Thus, the unilateral sanctions of the U.S. is beyond the law, and could be considered an act of war. The geopolitics of the region is not my concern. The unethical sanctions are.
And don't confuse a statement by a UN employee for a statement by the UN.
The United States will not allow a vote in the UN on sanctions. That’s why they have to do press releases. It is from the UN. The nuclear sanctions are supported by the UN, but not the economic sanctions. Which is why the tanker was seized.
International laws do not exist.
Alena Douhan, the Special Rapporteur you cited.
States have an obligation under international human rights law
Make up your mind. If they don't exist, then what she said is meaningless.
And on the subject of Ms Douhan...
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. ... Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Looks like she was speaking for herself, not for the UN.
States have an obligation under international human rights law
The Human Rights law, is "international", as in more than one nation recognizes it... and only 160+ of ~200 nations routinely break it with little consequence.
This is pedantic and not worthy of my time. You have no interest in the truth, only in winning. So, great you won. We should sanction the world into panic and starvation until countries destabilize and launch wars that destroy humanity. Nice win!
It's the same bullshit with the US "pay us taxes no matter where you are" bullshit.
It's clear international overreach just like everything else.
All countries do that. Then all countries also want you to "pay us taxes where you live". Double taxation is a problem for many people, even between countries with tax agreements like in the EU.
The US is the only developed country in the world where your tax duty is based on citizenship rather than where you live or work