Iran International reveals new network selling sanctioned Iranian oil worth billions

A newly uncovered oil trading operation tied to Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has been quietly exporting millions of barrels of sanctioned crude, according to documents obtained by Iran International and sources within Iran’s Oil Ministry. The network’s participants reportedly still owe billions of dollars from earlier sales, raising questions about why Tehran would entrust the same cast of characters with yet another round of high-stakes oil smuggling. How the network operates Iran has built an elaborate infrastructure of front companies and intermediaries spread across the UAE, Hong Kong, and China to circumvent US sanctions and deliver crude to buyers, primarily in China. The Shayan Network fits neatly into this playbook. The operation relies on so-called “trustee” middlemen who handle the logistics of moving sanctioned barrels from Iranian ports to end buyers. These intermediaries use shadow fleet tactics, including ship-to-ship transfers at sea, to obscure the origin of the cargo before it reaches its destination. The problem, as Iran International’s reporting makes clear, is that these trustees have a track record of not fully returning revenues. The Shayan Network’s members o...