Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, July 24, 2020—It has been over two months now that a number of Iranian regime ships have been held waiting outside Chinese ports due to U.S. sanctions and cannot even leave the area. Economic activists believe the main reason is that China is abiding by U.S. sanctions imposed against these ships.
“Iranian businessmen are saying the process of unloading and a new loading of these Iranian ships in Chinese ports have been halted for two months now,” according to a EuroNews report broadcast on Thursday, July 3. “Beijing is describing these measures as in accordance to environmental standards for the fuel used by sea vessels associated to the Iranian regime’s state-run shipping company. However, the main reason is that China is abiding by U.S. sanctions.”
Various outlets in Iran claim six ships belonging to the Iranian regime’s shipping company have docked in China for two weeks and are not permitted to leave. Pedram Soltani, a member of the General Council of the Global Commerce Chambers, posted a tweet on Thursday, July 23, saying these Iranian ships have been delayed at China’s docks for over two months now, EuroNews continued.
Soltani added these ships are transferring consignments worth tens of millions of dollars, some of which are being destroyed due to the long delay. Soltani also adds China’s emphasis on Iranian ships not abiding by the low-sulfur fuel regulations is not the main reason behind the limbo status of this issue. The truth can be found in the fact that U.S. sanctions have targeted these ships, he concluded.
The state-run Sharq daily in Iran cited an informed source in the Iranian regime Foreign Ministry saying that due to the recent protests regarding a 25-year agreement between the Iranian regime and China, Beijing “has become a bit upset,” and this has also delayed the issue around these Iranian ships near Chinese docks, according to EuroNews.
In response to Mr. Soltani’s report on Thursday, Ali Shariati, a member of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce Representative Delegation, called on the Chinese ambassador to the Iranian regime and asked him to provide an explanation regarding the true reason behind the delaying of these Iranian ships in Chinese waters.
