Dutch law firm helped Iranian oil industry evade U.S. sanctions for years
A Dutch-based law firm has helped the Iranian oil industry evade United States sanctions for years, according to research by BNR. International Law Firm Taheri (ILFT) has set up at least six companies since 2020 to manage oil tankers with paid intermediaries as directors so that the real owner remained out of sight. This was done by a Surinamese subsidiary of the law firm based in Capelle aan den IJssel, according to the broadcaster.
Last month, the United States put three companies registered at ILFT’s office address in Suriname on its sanctions list. The companies are accused of involvement in the trade of Iranian oil. According to the American authorities, Iran uses the income from its oil trade to fund terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.
ILFT owner Masoud Taheri (44) told BNR that he is merely a service provider offering a “solution” for a client faced with a “legal issue at an international level.” The six oil tankers registered with ILFT are managed on paper by Surinamese people affiliated with the firm.
According to the broadcaster, ILFT plays an important role in Iran’s “ghost fleet,” which consists of hundreds of tankers controlled by Iranian interests via intermediaries. This clandestine oli trade earned Iran at least 50 billion dollars last year, research by The Economist showed.
According to Claire Jungman, head of the Iran Tanker Tracking Program and the anti-Iranian advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), the ships registered through the Dutch firm are among the “most notorious” clandestine carriers of Iranian oil. UANI estimates that the six tankers registered through ILFT have collectively exported 160 million barrels of oil from Iran since America’s sanctions took effect.
Taheri told BNR that the trade in Iranian oil is not prohibited in Europe and Suriname and his firm adheres to the law. He strongly denies the suggestion that he contributes to financing terrorism. Taheri wouldn’t say who is behind the tanker fleet, though his website features the logo of the Iranian state oil company NIOC under the heading “Important clients.”
