Iran reportedly renames ships to dodge sanctions

Published November 20, 2014

In an effort to avoid sanctions, Iran renamed 90 cargo ships in its container line, which enables the country to circumvent sanctions on arms sales and the movement of nuclear equipment, The Jerusalem Post reported.

One of the authors of the report, published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, likened Iran’s tactics to shuffling a deck of cards in a Las Vegas casino.

"There is a constant game of cat and mouse being played," Hugh Griffiths, a co-author of the two-year report said, according to the paper. "And the renaming and re-flagging of vessels of different states is a way of trying to avoid inspection because of sanctions."

The report said the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line, once the 23rd largest container line in the world, has renamed 90 out of its 123-ship fleet and re-flagged additional ships, the paper reported.

The Post reported instances where the Israeli Navy caught Iranian arms ships transporting weapons in the volatile area and sought assistance from Western countries to help stanch the smuggling.

Tension has been building over Iran's nuclear program. The West is imposing new sanctions, charging that Iran is building nuclear weapons. Iran denies that and threatens to retaliate for the sanctions by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passage.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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