Reuters: Russia Sends Fuel to Syria Using Sanctioned Oil Tanker

Reuters reports that a shipment of Russian diesel fuel has been transferred to Syria using an oil tanker that is sanctioned by the United States. According to the report published on Thursday, March 7, the tanker "Prasperty," sailing under the flag of Barbados, anchored near the Syrian port of Baniyas after loading 37,000 tons of diesel in Russia. Reuters, citing data from the analytics and data company "L.S.A.G," referred to this development as the first direct supply to a Middle Eastern country in over a decade, noting the uncertainty of the tanker’s final destination. The report emphasizes the significance of the presence of two major Russian military bases in Syria, stating that the Khmeimim Air Base and the Tartus Naval Base provide Moscow with military access to the Middle East and Africa. This comes at a time when Moscow's control over these bases was put at risk following the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad's government last year. According to information from the shipping analytics company "L.S.A.G," both the tanker "Prasperty" and the Dubai-based company "Fornex," which manages the tanker, are on the U.S. sanctions list. While the Iranian government was previously the main supplier of crude oil to Syria, the shipment of oil from Iran to Syria has also ceased following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, with the new Syrian government seeking to source fuel from other exporters. Earlier, on Monday, March 6, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions against 16 entities and vessels involved in the oil and petrochemical industry of the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the maximum pressure campaign. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Busent also emphasized that the United States aims to reduce Iranian oil exports to 100,000 barrels per day through the implementation of the "maximum pressure" policy.