The U.S. Sanctions Oil Minister of the Pashinian Government; Iran Calls This Action 'Petty'

The Islamic Republic of Iran described the inclusion of Mohsen Paknejad, the oil minister of Iran's government, on the U.S. sanctions list as 'petty.' This reaction came after the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday, March 14, that the oil minister of the Islamic Republic and several oil tankers flying the Hong Kong flag, which are actually part of Iran's 'shadow fleet' to conceal the movement and sale of the country's oil, were placed on the sanctions list. Ismail Baqai, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, condemned the sanctions against the Islamic Republic's oil minister and several oil tankers and commercial companies, calling the U.S. action 'petty and contrary to all standards and principles of international law.' Baqai also referred to the U.S. readiness to negotiate with Tehran as a 'repetitive claim' and stated that the imposition of new sanctions is 'another clear evidence of the falsehood of these claims and another sign of their hostility towards the development, progress, and welfare of the Iranian people.' The Iranian Ministry of Oil also reacted to the sanctions against the minister, stating in a statement that 'the sanctioning of Mohsen Paknejad due to his extensive efforts to sell Iranian oil is one of the latest actions in line with the United States' maximum pressure policy. These sanctions have been imposed while his term in office has not yet reached seven months.' On March 25, the U.S. Treasury had already sanctioned Hamid Bord, Deputy Oil Minister and CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, and Abbas Asadrouz, CEO of the Iranian Oil Terminals Company. The new Treasury statement noted that Mohsen Paknejad, oil minister of Masoud Pashinian's government, 'in addition to overseeing the export of Iranian oil worth tens of billions of dollars, has also allocated billions of dollars of this country's oil for export to the Iranian armed forces.' Scott Benset, U.S. Treasury Secretary, continued in this statement: 'The Iranian regime continues to use the revenue from its vast oil resources to advance its troubling interests and goals at the expense of the pressure on the people of this country.' The statement added that 'the Treasury will counter and disrupt any effort by the Iranian regime to finance its destabilizing activities and advance its dangerous programs.' The U.S. Treasury also stated that on the same day, owners or operators of oil tankers that transported Iranian oil to China or assisted in its movement from tanks and warehouses in China were also subjected to sanctions. The vessels added to the sanctions list on this day include the 'Peace Hill' tanker flying the Hong Kong flag, owned by the Hong Kong company 'Heshun Commercial Transport Limited,' the 'Polaris 1' tanker flying the Iranian flag, the shipping company 'Falun' registered in Seychelles, and the maritime services company 'Itagwa' registered in Liberia. The U.S. State Department also issued a similar statement on the same day, emphasizing that 'we will continue to disrupt the illegal revenues of the Islamic Republic with the aim of dismantling its nefarious activities and limiting the financial resources of the corrupt officials of this regime, and we will use all available tools to hold this regime accountable.' The military forces of the Islamic Republic, especially the Revolutionary Guards, rely on a large fleet of ships with various flags, known as the 'shadow fleet' or 'phantom fleet,' to transfer billions of dollars of oil to China. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has adopted a 'maximum pressure' policy towards Iran, which includes efforts to 'reduce' Iran's oil exports to zero in order to prevent financing its proxy militia groups in the region and achieving nuclear weapons. Iran has always claimed that it does not seek nuclear weapons and that its nuclear program has only peaceful applications.