Controversy Over Report That “Exposes” Sanctions Circumvention Methods
Iran’s Islamic Republic Broadcasting Organization has denied published reports that allegedly revealed details of a confidential oil deal and the methods used to circumvent American sanctions.
The controversy over the publication of a report on state television has escalated at a time when Iran’s oil exports have drastically declined due to American sanctions, and leaders of the Islamic Republic are seeking alternative ways to sell oil.
Earlier, some Iranian media outlets reported that on the program “Hello, Good Morning” on Channel 3 of Iran’s state television, the program’s host, by showing aerial images, exposed the route of an oil tanker that was circumventing American sanctions and delivering its cargo to China.
In this program, it was stated that the tanker named “Salina” delivered one million barrels of oil to Chinese buyers.
However, the public relations department of the program “Hello, Good Morning” denied the allegations of revealing classified national information hours after the publication of these reports.
In a statement from the public relations department of “Hello, Good Morning,” it was said that information related to this tanker and the confidential sale of Iranian oil to a Chinese buyer had previously “been published in an international report by the Financial Times with satellite images along with photographs and more complete details.”
The statement said: “If the aim is to track the tanker by the Americans, this should have been done a week earlier, and there is no need for the ‘Hello, Good Morning’ program to remind the American side in the Persian language.”
The broadcast of this information comes at a time when Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum had previously insisted on protecting information and “oil secrets” and was unwilling to reveal “classified information about circumventing sanctions.”
Bijan Zanganeh, Iran’s Minister of Petroleum, had previously remained silent when questioned about the volume of Iran’s oil production and sales, saying he was not willing to disclose information in this regard.
Zanganeh said in a speech last March: “I cannot say how we circumvent sanctions because it would harm the nation. Some say you are not working, but we do not expose our plans. We do not provide any information because the enemy will use it against us.”
Source: DW
