U.S. sanctions Emirati companies from defying embargo on Iran

WASHINGTON / DAMASCUS – U.S. sanctions have been imposed on five Emirati companies accused of transporting Iranian oil and bypassing the U.S. embargo. The U.S. Treasury Department stated that the companies concerned illegally bought hundreds-of-thousands of metric tons of petroleum products from the Iranian National Oil Company and passed it off as coming from Iraq.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin stated that the Iranian regime is using the proceeds of oil and petrochemical sales to fund the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its regional proxies instead of using it for the health and well-being of the Iranians.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. and the European Union (EU) for imposing sanctions on countries suffering from the coronavirus outbreak and considered it a flagrant violation of human rights.

An official at the Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that Syria holds Washington and its allies, who keep imposing sanctions, responsible for every human victim of the coronavirus epidemic by impeding the efforts exerted to tackle this virus. Iran has helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad maintain power throughout the Syrian civil war and is a close ally of Syria.

The U.S. announced new sanctions on five UAE-based companies, which purchased Iranian petroleum products. Those who evade our sanctions are enabling Iran’s support for terrorism that destabilizes the region. We will not hesitate to enforce U.S. sanctions on #Iran.

— Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) March 19, 2020