The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned 26 companies, individuals and vessels associated with Al-Qatirji, a Syrian conglomerate, for exporting millions of barrels of Iranian oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Syria and East Asia, including China, to finance Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and the Houthis.
Iran is relying on key partners like Al-Qatarji to fund its activities and network of proxies across the region, according to Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, of the US Treasury.
Al-Qatari controls several vessels that it uses to transport oil from Iran, such as the Panama-flagged CELINE (IMO: 9305609) and the Guyana-flagged MIA (IMO 9018464).
The Al-Qatirji Company coordinated oil shipments worth tens of millions of dollars using the BARON, Iran-flagged STAR 5 (IMO: 9150377), and other ships with the IRGC-QF. The ultimate beneficial owners of these ships are the LELIA (IMO:9258870) and ELINE (IMO:9302486), which are owned by the Al-Qatarji company.
OFAC added Muhammad Agha Ahmed Rashdi Qatriji and his son Abbas Katerji to the sanctions list for working for the Al-Katarji Company.
