Bloomberg News published an exclusive report on Friday, August 30, investigating how Iran’s smuggled oil is sold and the role of Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, advisor to the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as one of the key figures in this operation.
According to Bloomberg, Milavous Group Ltd in Dubai, led by a trader known as Hector, has become one of the most important distributors of Iran’s smuggled oil in the global energy market. Bloomberg states that Hector is actually Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, and the key player in selling Iranian oil.
The news outlet, citing more than 12 unnamed sources, reported that Milavous Group has earned billions of dollars from selling goods originating from Iran and Russia. According to Bloomberg, Hossein Shamkhani, known as Hector, is a senior executive at Milavous.
According to informed sources, Hossein Shamkhani plays a significant role in selling sanctioned Iranian and Russian oil to customers worldwide. He also sells oil and petrochemical products from non-sanctioned countries and sometimes blends crude oil from various countries to obscure the origin from buyers.
Bloomberg’s exclusive report is based on documents and interviews with informed domestic and international sources.
The report also highlights the growing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in response to the tightening of global sanctions against both countries.
According to the news agency, the United States faces challenges in curbing this trade due to the risk of rising oil prices during the presidential election year in November.
Bloomberg reports that the U.S. has imposed restrictions on the sale of Iranian and Russian oil, but many countries, including the United Arab Emirates and China, are not subject to these restrictions. Hossein Shamkhani is not under U.S. sanctions, and UAE law does not prohibit companies from trading crude oil from Iran or Russia.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, August 29, the organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) released its report on the status of Iranian oil shipments by tankers in July.
The report states that Iranian oil, which is under international sanctions, is being transported to various parts of the world by tankers flying the flags of other countries.
UANI, referencing its global campaign to combat Iran’s oil smuggling via these tankers, states that since the beginning of this year, Panama has removed about 109 ships from its registry of tankers. These ships had been using Panama’s flag to participate in the transportation of sanctioned Iranian oil to buyers.
However, according to UANI, the Cook Islands, a small island nation in the South Pacific in free association with New Zealand and with a population of about 15,000, has become a significant player in this area.
This year, the Cook Islands registered the highest number of ships under its flag.
According to UANI’s data, the Cook Islands has registered approximately 35 tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil and provided them with its flag.
Comoros, Palau, Barbados, and Gabon rank next after the Cook Islands in UANI’s report.
According to UANI, the easy availability of flags from countries like the Cook Islands is an essential part of Iran’s illegal oil trade, allowing Tehran to export nearly two million barrels of oil per day. China is considered the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil.
