Iranian Oil Tanker Carrying Two Million Barrels Catches Fire After Collision Near Singapore

A collision involving an oil tanker carrying two million barrels of Iranian crude oil destined for China and another tanker near Singapore has resulted in fires on both vessels. Reuters reported, citing a Singaporean official and global shipping monitoring companies, that the supertanker 'Sirius 1' collided with another Singaporean oil tanker on Friday. Images released by the Singapore Navy show thick black smoke emanating from one of the tankers and crew members being rescued and taken to the hospital. Environmental officials in neighboring Malaysia have stated they have been warned to prepare for a potential oil spill. The exact circumstances leading to the incident are still unclear. The 'Sirius 1,' which flies the flag of the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe located in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa and is owned by a resident of China, has been used in recent years to circumvent Western sanctions and smuggle oil. S&P Global reported three months ago that China purchases 90% of Iranian crude oil at special discounts. According to a Reuters analyst, the area where 'Sirius 1' was docked is used for the illegal transfer of Iranian oil by ships that turn off their radar transmitters to avoid detection. The supertanker has also been used in recent years to illegally transport Venezuelan oil to China. Experts believe that around 850 tankers are used to illegally transport and sell oil from Western-sanctioned countries, including Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. The Islamic Republic's nuclear and military adventures, human rights violations, and deadly suppression of Iranian protesters, military cooperation with Russia, and destabilization of the Middle East have led the U.S. and its allies to impose extensive sanctions on the Iranian government. A significant portion of the Islamic Republic's revenues comes from oil and gas sales, and Western sanctions have forced this government to sell the national wealth of Iranians at very low prices to China against their will.