The first item was further proof of Iran’s progress in amassing the fissile fuel used to make nuclear energy and, potentially, nuclear bombs. Yet Iran’s oil trade, like its nuclear fuel output, is on the rise again. ADADThe Trump administration is entering its final months with a flurry of new sanctions intended to squeeze Iran economically. Obtaining reliable figures for Iran’s oil industry is difficult, but multiple independent analysts calculated that Tehran exported on average 1.2 million barrels of oil a day in September, and nearly as much in October. United Against Nuclear Iran, a Washington advocacy group that monitors Iran’s illicit oil trade, obtained aerial photographs depicting four vessels allegedly engaged in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil in October.

Source: Washington Post November 15, 2020 23:52 UTC