An image showing an Iranian tanker leaking oil off the coast of the Syrian port of Baniyas offers evidence that the Islamic Republic is violating US sanctions on its oil exports, as well as international sanctions prohibiting trade with Syria, i24NEWS Defense Correspondent Matthias reported Tuesday.
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The photograph, obtained exclusively by Intelli Times, appears to reveal a trail of oil spilling from the tanker.
Just north of the coastal city of Baniyas is one of Syria's largest oil refineries and power stations.
US President Donald Trump left the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran last year, saying it was flawed. He then slapped sanctions targeting Iranian crude oil in November 2018, essentially restoring the punitive economic measures against the Islamic Republic that had been frozen by the previous administration.
Iran's oil shipments tumbled to 750,000 barrels per day in April, compared to 1.5 million in October, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
EXCLUSIVE: An #Iranian tanker has been identified — by @IntelliTimes — spilling oil in front of Banias Coast off of #Syria. Was it a mechanical issue or an act of sabotage ? Report by @MatthiasInbar
📰➡https://t.co/hSlYXTMP8N pic.twitter.com/yA2PETpbKX— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) July 30, 2019
Eight governments were given sanction waivers until the White House reined them in as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.
But the Islamic Republic has continued to sell its oil through "unconventional" means in order to bypass the sanctions.
The UK seized an Iranian oil tanker earlier in the month off the coast of Gibraltar, purportedly heading for Syria in violation of US and European sanctions.
Britain has thus far refused to release the tanker unless given guarantees that it is not bound for Syria, prompting Iran to retaliate by seizing a UK-flagged ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has insisted that its supertanker was not headed for Syria, calling the UK's move "maritime robbery."
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
