American pressure on Panama to implement sanctions against Iran

Abram Pelley, the US deputy special representative for Iran affairs, asked Panama on Wednesday to prevent Iranian ships from using the flag of this Central American country.

According to the AFP report, Peli said during his trip to Panama: Iran and Iran-related actors are trying to circumvent the sanctions in Panama.

He claimed: They are trying to take advantage of the registration of the Panamanian flag.

Piley added that the purpose of his visit to this Central American country is to “make sure that the Panamanian shipping registry and jurisdiction are not used by entities that are trying to circumvent our sanctions against Iran.”

According to the Maritime Administration of Panama, eight thousand and 540 ships are registered in this country, which make up about 16% of the world marine fleet.

Washington claims that some of these ships are used to transport Iranian oil and oil derivatives and to circumvent the US sanctions.

Pili claimed: Since January, at least 6 Panamanian-flagged ships have violated US sanctions against Iran. We expect the Panamanian government to continue to cooperate with us based on its domestic laws and international obligations.

Source: IRNA