United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has applauded the Liberian Registry for de-flagging all Iran oil-smuggling vessels and committing to cease flagging any vessels engaged in such illicit trade.
The Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry now the world’s largest shipping registry in gross tonnage, has taken critical steps to ensure its vessels are not complicit in the Iranian regime’s illicit oil trade and other sanctions evasion schemes.
In November 2020, UANI launched its campaign to end flags of convenience flying on the vessels of Iran’s “Ghost Armada” of foreign-owned and -managed tankers that transport its blacklisted oil. Since that time, the Liberia Registry has stood out as a beacon of responsiveness, responsibility and good stewardship in expeditiously de-flagging Iranian oil-smuggling vessels.
Today, UANI is happy to confirm that not a single vessel flagged by the Liberian Registry is currently listed on UANI’s Iran sanctions watchlist—a clear testament to Liberia’s world-class compliance program, proactive enforcement mechanisms, and partnership with the international community in upholding maritime standards, the campaigner said in a June 12 statement.
“The Liberian Registry has shown what is possible when a flag registry truly seeks to abide by the law and prioritizes security and transparency. We applaud the Liberian Registry for its commitment to ensure that no Liberia flag will fly over an Iran oil-smuggling vessel” said UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace. “We commend the Liberian Registry team and its CEO Alfonso Castillero for their commitment to prevent their flag from being used in any sanctions evasion scheme and for their efforts to screen, audit, and de-flag vessels that are complicit in Iran’s evasion of sanctions. The Liberian registry should serve as a model for registries worldwide.”
Iran relies on its shadow fleet of deceptive tankers to export oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. These oil sales are the regime’s primary source of revenue, funding its nuclear program, regional aggression, and global terrorism through groups like Hezbollah and the IRGC-Quds Force. Responsible flag registries like Liberia are essential in closing off these avenues of illicit finance.
UANI urges other flag registries to follow Liberia’s lead in implementing rigorous due diligence policies and immediate enforcement against vessels engaged in deceptive practices, such as AIS spoofing and ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian crude.
