Credit:  U.S. Department of Justice / Foreign-flagged oil tanker The M/T Bella with international maritime organization (IMO) number 9208124 carrying Iranian cargo bound for Venezuela.

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The United States Justice Department announced Friday that federal agents seized a multimillion-dollar Iranian fuel shipment bound for Venezuela, the largest-ever seizure of its kind. On July 2, 2020, the U.S. DOJ  filed a complaint seeking to forfeit all petroleum-product cargo aboard four foreign-flagged oil tankers, including the M/T Bella with international maritime organization (IMO) number 9208124, the M/T Bering with IMO number 9149225, the M/T Pandi with IMO number 9105073, and the M/T Luna with IMO number 9208100 (all pictured below).  A seizure order for the cargo from all four vessels was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Jeb Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The U.S. said that,  with the assistance of foreign partners, agents confiscated a total of 1.1 million barrels of petroleum from four foreign-flagged oil tankers, as Tehran and Caracas attempt to evade U.S. sanctions. US prosecutors filed the  Federal Court action  seeking seizure of all Iranian gasoline aboard the four tankers headed to Venezuela in the Trump administration’s latest move to choke the life out of  the embattled Maduro regime.  In June the US  imposed sanctions on five Iranian ship captains who delivered 1.5 million barrels of Iranian gasoline to Venezuela in support of the Maduro regime.  In May, five Iranian tankers loaded with badly-needed fuel shipments were delivered to Venezuela.  The shipments from the Islamic Republic of Iran  ignited fears of a military confrontation as the U.S. at one point hinted it would stop the fuel deliveries.  The Trump administration staunchly backs Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

The U.S. said that after enforcement of the U.S. forfeiture order, Iran’s navy forcibly boarded an unrelated ship in an apparent attempt to recover the seized petroleum, but was unsuccessful.  U.S. Central Command published a video of the failed Iranian operation Thursday:

(4/5) IMSC STATEMENT: "A @IMSC_Sentinel coalition ship was providing overwatch in the immediate area and monitored the incident. There were no calls for help issued by Wila. Sentinel's mission is to deter & expose malign activity, reassure the maritime community in the region." pic.twitter.com/9GZwfIQXz7

— IMSC (@IMSC_Sentinel) August 13, 2020

Credit:  U.S. Department of Justice / Foreign-flagged oil tanker M/T Bering with IMO number 9149225 carrying Iranian cargo bound for Venezuela.

Credit:  U.S. Department of Justice / Foreign-flagged oil tanker M/T Pandi with IMO number 910507  carrying Iranian cargo bound for Venezuela  

Credit:  U.S. Department of Justice / Foreign-flagged oil tanker M/T Luna  with IMO number 910507  carrying Iranian cargo bound for Venezuela  

Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may in whole or in part be directed to the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (http://www.usvsst.com/) after the conclusion of the case, DOJ said.  A warrant for arrest and civil forfeiture complaint are merely allegations.  The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.  HSI’s Colorado Springs and FBI’s Minneapolis field office are investigating the case. The case is being handled by the National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.