Chilean Prosecutor's Investigation into Poisoning of Hundreds Due to 'Iranian Export Oil'

Reuters reported that Chilean prosecutors have begun an investigation into the possible poisoning of 508 Chilean citizens due to 'toxic gases in Iranian oil,' but the National Iranian Oil Company has denied this report. On Wednesday, December 19, the National Iranian Oil Company stated that 'inspectors from international standard organizations are present every year to monitor the testing, loading, and export processes of Iranian oil in the country, carefully considering all issues and issuing the necessary certificates for oil exports.' The report adds that Iran's export terminals 'are equipped with the latest laboratories and devices for examining and measuring the quality and quantity of oil, and exported oil is always tested at various times of the day.' The National Iranian Oil Company stated, 'Iran exports about one billion barrels of oil to various countries annually, and no similar case as claimed in Chile has been raised by any country so far.' According to Reuters, the mentioned poisoning occurred in July of this year, and the Chilean prosecutor's office is investigating the possibility of environmental air pollution due to chemical compounds in Iranian oil. A month before the poisoning of Chilean citizens, Bloomberg reported that the tanker 'Monte Toledo' was carrying one million barrels of oil from Iran to Chile. According to data from the company 'Marine Traffic,' which tracks oil tankers, this tanker is sailing under the Portuguese flag in international waters. The official website of this company states that the mentioned tanker is currently in the South China Sea. Bloomberg reported that the state refinery 'ENAP' in Chile has been a customer of Iranian oil. Reuters also writes that the accusations from the Chilean prosecutor's office and the Ministry of Environment are directed at the ENAP refinery and the oil purchased by this refinery from Iran. ENAP has denied any toxic pollution due to Iranian oil, stating that the source of the toxic gases was not from the refinery. Reuters reports that most of the 508 people poisoned by toxic gases were children. The National Iranian Oil Company stated in its report that the Chilean prosecutor's office has not yet made any accusations against Iran and is merely investigating possibilities. Chile is not a traditional customer of Iranian oil, but it is likely to be one of Tehran's new customers after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. Two months ago, Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, announced new customers for Iranian oil during World Standards Day. He stated, 'The U.S. claims it will bring Iran's oil sales to zero. Meanwhile, we have found new partners for Iranian oil using certain methods.' Last month, the U.S. implemented oil sanctions against Iran, granting exemptions to only eight countries: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Greece, and Italy, allowing them to buy limited amounts of oil from Iran.