Dark Transits are a Stopgap not a Solution
Washington has accomplished an important feat by stealthily moving oil through the Persian Gulf despite Iran’s proclaimed closure. But the means it has relied on can’t become normal maritime...
Automatic identification system
Advice to Europe: “America hasn’t won, but Iran may be losing.”
*This article was originally published in French In Europe, and especially in France, the verdict seems to be in. The United States, we are told, has pursued a strategy toward Iran that is as brutal...
Op-eds
The Houthis Are Hitting Saudi Arabia’s Energy Pipeline — and Here’s Why That Matters
Saudi Arabia has weathered Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz by relying on its east-west pipeline to send crude from the kingdom’s energy-rich eastern province to the Red Sea terminal...
Op-eds
Iraq Is Envisioning New Oil Pipelines — But They Are Likely a Pipe Dream
Iraq’s reliance on oil exports through the now-closed Strait of Hormuz may spell financial disaster for Baghdad, which has limited options to avert a crisis. More than 94 percent of Iraq’s oil exports...
Insights
U.S. Seizes ‘Dark Fleet’ Supertanker With History of Oil Smuggling Off Venezuelan Coast
Latest Developments Vessel Involved in Illicit Oil Shipping: President Donald Trump announced on December 10 that the United States had seized a “very large” oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela....
Flash Briefs
Biden Must Not Give in to North Korea’s Demand for Early Sanctions Relief
Diplomatic success will require better sanctions enforcement, not looser sanctions.
Op-eds
Assad Survives Thanks to Iranian Oil—and Egyptian Consent
Sanctions have stopped Tehran from selling its crude, but not from giving it to the Syrian dictator.
Op-eds
Iranian Tankers Relieve Pressure of Oil Sanctions on Assad
For the second time this month, an Iranian tanker has delivered nearly a million barrels of crude oil to Syria, relieving the...
Policy Briefs
Iranian Oil Exports Already Down Before Sanctions Came Back Online
Even before the reinstatement of sanctions earlier this week, Iran’s oil exports had already fallen by as much as 40 percent from their previous high, or one million barrels per day (bpd). Secretary...
Policy Briefs
Syria’s Illicit Imports of Iranian Oil Spike in October
Illicit exports of crude oil from Iran to Syria spiked in the first two weeks of October to roughly 150,000 barrels per day (bpd), more than twice the reported high for previous two-week periods this...
Policy Briefs
Tehran’s Oil Exports Rose Slightly in September, Halting Sharp Decline
Bloomberg has reversed its prior assessment that Iranian oil exports continued to plunge in September, halting – but not reversing – the sharp decline that began after the U.S. announced...
Policy Briefs
Iranian Tankers Hide Locations Ahead of Impending Sanctions
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires the continual operation of an Automatic Ident...
Policy Briefs
North Korean Ship Tests the Waters Near America’s Shores
It’s not often that North Korean-flagged freighters turn up near America’s shores, but when they do, they deserve attention. North Korea has a prolific record of arms smuggling, narco...
Op-eds
Russia’s Chariot Calls at Iran
It’s time for the next installment in the adventures of the Chariot, a Russian-operated freighter that made headlines in January for delivering tons of Russian munitions to Syria. The Chari...