The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on September 25 that it had imposed sanctions on around 10 companies and vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Syria and East Asia. The entities targeted by these sanctions were found to be operating in support of the interests of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and Hezbollah. Among the sanctioned vessels are four ships owned by prominent Syrian shipping magnate Abdul Jalil Mallah and his brother, Luay al-Mallah, forming part of an illicit network facilitating these shipments.
(Text by Hiro Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy=OFAC
Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, commented on the sanctions: “Iran continues to rely on the illicit sale of oil and liquefied petroleum gas to finance its terrorist proxies and destabilizing activities led by the IRGC-Quds Force and Hezbollah. The Treasury Department will continue to disrupt the networks of shippers, brokers, and buyers supporting these schemes.”
Abdul Jalil Mallah was previously sanctioned on June 10, 2021, for supporting a network managed by Sa’id al-Jamal, a financial facilitator for the IRGC-QF-backed Houthi group in Yemen. His brother, Luay al-Mallah, has now been targeted for continuing to support Iran’s malign activities through the family-run shipping business.
The latest sanctions fall under the authority of Executive Order 13224 (as amended), which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorism. OFAC designated the IRGC-Quds Force under this order on October 25, 2007, for its support to terrorist organizations. The U.S. Department of State designated Hezbollah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on October 31, 2001.
■Hezbollah and IRGC-Quds Force Transport Operations
According to the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Star Ocean Shipmanage Ltd., registered in the Marshall Islands and based in China, is a vessel management company responsible for operating the Panamanian-flagged vessels “ETERNAL SUCCESS” (IMO: 9307633), “ETERNAL 8” (IMO: 9232448), and “ETERNAL PEACE” (IMO: 9259745). OFAC reported that, as recently as July 2024, the IRGC-Quds Force used the “ETERNAL SUCCESS” to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer while sailing to East Asia, during which the vessel’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) was manipulated to conceal its movements. The sister ship, “ETERNAL 8,” has also been linked to IRGC-Quds Force’s transport activities.
According to VesselsValue, a prominent UK-based maritime valuation company, the details of the sanctioned vessels are as follows:
– Eternal Success: VLCC (309,400 DWT), built in 2005, constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan Shipyard, managed and owned by Star Ocean Shipmanage.
– Eternal 8: LR2 tanker (106,100 DWT), built in 2002, constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan Shipyard, managed and owned by Star Ocean Shipmanage.
– Eternal Peace: SUEZMAX tanker (159,500 DWT), built in 2004, constructed by Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co, managed and owned by Star Ocean Shipmanage.
Star Ocean Shipmanage Ltd. has been sanctioned under Executive Order 13224 (as amended) for providing material, financial, or technical support to the IRGC-Quds Force. The vessels “ETERNAL SUCCESS,” “ETERNAL 8,” and “ETERNAL PEACE” have been designated as part of this action.
Meanwhile, Marshall Islands-based Dragon Road Ltd. is the registered owner of the Panamanian-flagged vessel “SERENE I” (IMO: 9197832). According to the U.S. Treasury, in the summer of 2024, “SERENE I” loaded IRGC-Quds Force-owned products in Iran on behalf of Lebanon-based Concepto Screen SAL Offshore, a company previously designated for its affiliation with Hezbollah. Similarly, the Panamanian-flagged vessel “FENG TAI” (IMO: 9248473) transported IRGC-Quds Force-owned products from Iran to mainland China on behalf of Concepto. Hong Kong-based Tai Feng Hai Shipping Limited is the registered owner of “FENG TAI.”
Dragon Road Ltd. and Tai Feng Hai Shipping Limited have also been sanctioned under Executive Order 13224 (as amended) for providing material, financial, or technical support to the IRGC-Quds Force. The vessels “SERENE I” and “FENG TAI” have been identified as owned by Dragon Road Ltd. and Tai Feng Hai Shipping Limited, respectively.
〆OFAC、イラン産原油を輸送したVLCCなどに制裁
米国財務省外国資産管理局（OFAC）が９月末までに、ヒズボラの利益のために、イラン産原油および液化石油ガス（LPG）をシリアや東アジアへ輸送することに関与した十数社の企業と船舶、さらにイラン革命防衛隊（IRGC）クッズ部隊に対して制裁を課したことが明らかになった。制裁対象となった船舶には、シリアの著名な海運業者アブドゥル・ジャーリル・マラー（Abdul Jalil Mallah）とその兄弟ルアイ・アル＝マラー（Luay al-Mallah）が所有する不正輸送船団の一部である4隻の船舶が含まれている。
(Text by Hiro Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy=OFAC
米国財務省テロおよび金融情報担当代行次官ブラッドリー・T・スミスは今回の制裁について次のように述べた。 「イランは、IRGCクッズ部隊およびレバノンのヒズボラによるテロ代理勢力の資金調達や破壊的活動を支えるために、石油および液化石油ガスの不正販売に依存し続けている。米財務省は、これらのスキームを支援する海運業者、ブローカー、購入者のネットワークを断ち切るための取り組みを継続する」。
アブドゥル・ジャーリル・マラーは、IRGCクッズ部隊の支援を受けたフーシ派の財務担当官サイード・アル＝ジャマール（Sa’id al-Jamal）のネットワークを支援したとして、2021年6月10日に制裁対象となっている。また、ルアイ・アル＝マラーはその後も家族経営の海運事業を通じてイランおよびその代理勢力の悪質な活動を支援し続けているため、今回の制裁対象となった。
今回の制裁は、テロ対策権限に基づく大統領令13224号（改訂版）に基づいて行われている。OFACは2007年10月25日に、IRGCクッズ部隊をテロ組織への支援を行ったとして、大統領令13224号に基づき指定した。米国国務省は2001年10月31日に、ヒズボラを特別指定グローバルテロリスト（SDGT）として指定している。
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