Bloomberg Report on Iranian Oil Smuggling; Shamkhani's Son, Known as 'Hector', is the Key Player

Bloomberg reported on Friday, September 9, detailing how Iran's smuggled oil is sold and the role of Hossein Shamkhani, son of Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, as a key figure in this process. According to the news agency, the company 'Milavos' in Dubai, led by a trader known as 'Hector', has become one of the main distributors of Iran's smuggled oil in the global energy market. Bloomberg states that Hector is indeed Hossein Shamkhani, who is a key player in Iran's oil sales. The agency cited over 12 knowledgeable sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, stating that Milavos has generated billions of dollars from selling goods originating from Iran and Russia. According to Bloomberg, Hossein Shamkhani is a senior manager at Milavos, known as Hector. Sources indicate that he plays a significant role in selling a substantial portion of the sanctioned oil from Iran and Russia to customers worldwide. He is also a seller of oil and petrochemical products from non-sanctioned countries and, in some cases, mixes crude oil from various countries to prevent buyers from identifying the original source. The exclusive Bloomberg report is based on documents and interviews with knowledgeable domestic and foreign sources. The report also indicates an increase in cooperation between Tehran and Moscow to counter the intensifying sanctions from global powers against both Tehran and Moscow. According to the news agency, the U.S. faces challenges in limiting this trade, as it risks increasing oil prices in the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November. Bloomberg reports that the U.S. has imposed restrictions on the sale of oil from Iran and Russia, but many countries, including the UAE and China, are not included in 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, the United Against a Nuclear Iran organization published its report on the status of Iranian oil transfers by tankers in July on Thursday, August 11. This report states that Iranian oil, which is under international sanctions, is transported by tankers flying the flags of other countries to various parts of the world. The organization notes its global campaign to combat the smuggling of Iranian oil by these tankers, stating that since the beginning of this year, Panama has removed about 109 vessels from its list of registered tankers. These vessels participated in transporting sanctioned Iranian oil to buyers using the Panamanian flag. However, according to the United Against a Nuclear Iran organization, the 'Cook Islands', a small island nation in the South Pacific that has free relations with New Zealand and has a population of about 15,000, has become a significant player in this field. The Cook Islands has registered the most vessels this year and has provided its flag to them. According to the organization's statistics, the Cook Islands has registered about 35 tankers that participated in transporting Iranian oil. Comoros, Palau, Barbados, and Gabon follow in the rankings of the United Against a Nuclear Iran organization. According to this organization, the easy availability of flags from countries like the Cook Islands is an essential part of the illegal oil trade of the Islamic Republic, allowing Tehran to export nearly two million barrels of oil per day using these services. China is considered the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil.