"Elements of the rush": how a closed bank and a sunken tanker fell under US sanctions against Iran

The Iranian Tat Bank, which closed six years ago and a sunken Iranian ship, were put on the list of US sanctions against Iran. This was stated by the country's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"In a desperate psychological warfare operation to expand the sanctions list of Iranian companies ... the US imposed sanctions against the bank, which closed six years ago, and the ship that sank last year, which was widely reported on television," wrote the Iranian Foreign Minister on Twitter.

In a desperate case of Iranian entities — unintentionally — it is indiscriminately — that’s been the case for the saga. #USisIsolated

We are talking about the oil tanker Sanchi, in distress after a collision with a Hong Kong cargo ship in the East China Sea. Then the Iranian ship caught fire and sank, killing all members of the crew.

The US sanctions against Tehran have also been criticized in Turkey. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that the US sanctions list undermines the global balance.

“We will not obey such sanctions. I do not think the right decision to introduce these sanctions. This step is aimed at disrupting the balance in the world, ”the NTV President quoted as saying.

The decision to impose sanctions against Iran was condemned at the Foreign Ministry of Germany. As the country's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, noted, Germany does not support US sanctions and is working within the EU to ensure that European companies can do business with Iran.

“We consider this step to be wrong, we have already said this in the past months. We are unanimous in this regard within the EU. In the EU, we are working to ensure that we can continue to do business with Iran with the help of new tools, ”TASS quoted the head of the German foreign affairs agency.

Iranian sanctions were illegitimate in the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes that the imposed restrictive measures are contrary to the decisions of the UN Security Council.

“As for the American measures against Iran, they are absolutely illegitimate. They are carried out in gross violation of the decisions of the UN Security Council, and the forms in which these measures are announced and implemented, of course, cannot but cause deep disappointment, ”Lavrov said.

"Elements of the rush"

Washington introduces another package of sanctions to provoke economic problems and political instability, says expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies Vladimir Bruter. At the same time, the Americans, in an effort to maximize the sanctions lists, do not check the information for accuracy, he noted.

“In many cases, the United States acts on the information that is: they have data on the bank - they include it. The United States is not engaged in clarifying information and identifying errors. In all such cases, they simply expand their lists as much as possible, ”says Vladimir Bruter.

Inclusion in the package of sanctions of non-operating more subjects can be explained by haste in its formation, noted Andrei Manoilo, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor of Sciences at Moscow State University.

“It seems to me that these are elements of some haste, which probably accompanied the preparation of these sanctions lists,” said Manoilo.

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"Will take on fright"

Under the threat of sanctions were many European companies that operate in Iran. As stated by the head of the US State Department, Mike Pompeo, Washington "will not allow" European companies to carry out transactions with the United States and Iran.

“European companies will not be allowed to do business with both parties ... European companies are fleeing Iran. Country left hundreds of business representatives. The whole world understands that these sanctions are real, ”CBS quotes him.

That is why, according to Bruter, the EU faces the task of developing a mechanism in which European businessmen would not leave Iran. At the same time with the European Union, the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany check the possibilities for protecting their enterprises from sanctions.

“The US wants to organize the departure of European companies from the territory of the republic on a voluntary basis. At the same time, there is no clear mechanism for imposing sanctions for all companies operating in Iran. Therefore, businessmen, as they say, will take on fright. And in the end, many companies will leave the Iranian market themselves. The task of Germany is to find such a mechanism so that European business in Iran will develop, ”the expert explained.

Meanwhile, shortly before the sanctions came into force, the United States "allowed" eight states to continue to buy oil from Iran for six months without threatening to impose restrictive measures. According to Bruter, Turkey, speaking out against the Iranian sanctions, does not risk anything.

“In all such cases, the United States is very selective. They know where, when and what to push. I think that there will be no sharp pressure on the US allies in Europe, on neutral countries such as Turkey and India, because the United States understands that if they put pressure and countries do not fulfill their demands, then they will have to somehow react to it. Therefore, the reaction to the actions of Turkey will be minimal. The main goal of these sanctions is to show Iran that the pressure can and will increase, ”he said.