Netanyahu: The Israeli Navy Plays a Key Role in Countering Oil Smuggling by Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Wednesday, March 6, during the graduation ceremony for naval officers that "Iran is circumventing oil sanctions via the sea." He added that with the intensification of these Iranian efforts, the Israeli Navy has a "more important role" in preventing this. According to reports from Ynet and the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu called on the "international community to prevent Iran from circumventing sanctions by sea or any other means." He mentioned that Iran is quietly smuggling oil through maritime routes and that the Israeli Navy may combat this. These statements could imply a veiled threat against Iranian oil tankers. Netanyahu noted that Iran is still using the same hidden routes it employed during previous sanctions, prior to the JCPOA, to deliver oil to customers. Speaking to newly graduated naval officers alongside General Aviv Kochavi, the new Chief of Staff of the Army, he said: "The navy is a vital component of our national capability and international power... The navy is both defensive and offensive; in the defensive arena, it protects our shores and prevents infiltrations by saboteurs and other enemy forces via the sea, and in the offensive arena, it is crucial as it attacks our enemies in various theaters, including those far from our borders." Netanyahu, who has also served as Minister of Defense for the past five months, added: "I know this well; because the commander of the navy and the Chief of Staff come to me with unit commanders to present operations for approval; I want you to know that (these operations) are carried out regularly; even in these days; most of these operations remain nameless, and in addition, Iran is trying to circumvent sanctions through covert oil smuggling in maritime routes; the more these efforts (by Iran) expand, the more important the navy's role is in trying to prevent these Iranian actions." Tracking Iranian oil tankers has become "more difficult" in the face of U.S. sanctions. The Prime Minister did not reference the nature of operations that his navy could undertake against Iranian oil smuggling or any operations that may have already been conducted in this regard. He had previously stated that Israel is directly at war with Iran in Syria, but this is the first time he has mentioned his country's naval confrontation with Iran at "distances far from Israel's borders." Reuters also reported that it is unclear how Israel can stop the activities of Iranian oil-carrying ships unless it wants to engage in direct naval conflict with Iranian tankers. The news agency noted that Israel's naval capabilities, which include missile-equipped vessels and several submarines, are mainly limited to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Some experts have previously claimed that Iran circumvents oil sanctions by transferring oil from ship to ship in the heart of the seas, using unflagged tankers, and moving at sea with radar turned off. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other senior Iranian officials have explicitly stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran "proudly" circumvents "oppressive sanctions." The Deputy Chief of Operations of the Army stated: "We will defend Iranian tankers against threats." Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May of this year, senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urged all countries to sanction Iranian oil "until Iran's oil exports reach zero." Netanyahu had long before the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and during the previous sanctions against Tehran, mentioned "crippling sanctions," including reducing Iran's oil exports to zero. The U.S. government has issued limited exemptions from Iranian oil sanctions for eight countries in recent months, but this exemption is set to expire soon and it has been emphasized that it will not be renewed. On the same day that the Israeli Prime Minister spoke at his country's naval base about the navy's efforts to counter Iran's circumvention of oil sanctions, Iranian President Rouhani emphasized during a visit to Gilan province that what is happening against Iran is an economic war and that Iran's conditions are those of war. According to ISNA, Rouhani stated in Rasht: "Today, the enemy has mobilized itself for combat and war, and in this path, the money of reactionary countries in the region, the hatred of the Zionists, and the enmity of the leaders of America have created numerous problems together." Just hours before his visit to the naval base in Haifa, Netanyahu, along with David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Jerusalem, visited the site of the deployment of the American "THAAD" system. The U.S. military deployed this advanced missile defense system for the first time in the Negev desert in southern Israel this week. This is the most advanced missile defense system of the U.S. that is being deployed amidst heightened hostility between Netanyahu's government and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Israel. Senior U.S. and Israeli officials described the deployment of "THAAD" as a "demonstration of unwavering U.S. support for Israel's security" without mentioning any time limits for it in Israel.