Following remarks by Iraq’s Oil Minister regarding the provision of information to the United States about Iran’s sanctions evasion, a senior official from the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Oil rejected these reports, calling them “negative and malicious propaganda.”
Hayan Abdul Ghani, Iraq’s Oil Minister, stated that Iranian oil tankers have been using falsified Iraqi documents to bypass sanctions and that this matter has been reported to the United States.
Without providing details, Abdul Ghani added that Baghdad has received reports regarding the seizure of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf by U.S. naval forces, which were carrying Iraqi documents.
However, Ali Mohammad Mousavi, the Iranian regime’s Deputy Minister for International Affairs and Commerce in the Ministry of Oil, stated on Monday, March 24: “Iran’s oil sales are conducted in full compliance with all recognized standards and criteria governing oil trade interactions.”
He added: “Such negative and malicious propaganda will have no effect on the determination of the Ministry of Oil in fulfilling its legal duties and responsibilities.”
The senior Iranian regime official also claimed that the statements of Iraq’s Oil Minister had been “incompletely reported” and that the issue of “the seizure of several Iranian oil tankers by the United States” was actually raised by American officials.
Iraq Informed the U.S. About Iranian Tankers Using Fake Iraqi Documents
The remarks by Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister come amid past reports indicating that Iranian oil has been exported using falsified Iraqi documents.
For example, Reuters reported in 2019 that the Grace-1 oil tanker had transported Iranian oil using documents indicating it had been loaded in Basra, Iraq.
On December 3, this news agency also reported that a complex fuel oil smuggling network operating in Iraq, benefiting the Iranian regime and its proxy groups, has generated between one to three billion dollars annually since the beginning of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani’s tenure in 2022.
On March 19 of last year, the Iraqi Navy announced the seizure of an Iranian vessel in the Persian Gulf on fuel smuggling charges, stating that the Iranian captain, eight Indian crew members, and two Iraqi crew members had been arrested.
On February 4, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reinstate the “maximum pressure” policy against the Iranian regime, aiming to bring Iran’s oil exports down to zero in order to pressure Tehran into halting its nuclear program.
The U.S. government has also placed Iran’s Oil Minister under its sanctions list.
Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson for the government of Masoud Pezeshkian, responded on March 17 to Washington’s decision to sanction Iran’s Oil Minister, stating that it is impossible to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero.
The Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry also described the U.S. efforts to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero as “contrary to international law.”
Although sanctions on Iran-linked oil tankers began in October 2024, their intensity and precision have increased in recent months.
