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The U.S. government asked Israel in 2008 to warn private companies against doing business with Iran's national shipping company IRISL.

A secret State Department cable dated September 2008, and revealed over the weekend by WikiLeaks, shows that the U.S. government had informed Israel in detail of steps taken against various countries to enforce sanctions against shipping companies doing business with Iran.

WikiLeaks website.

American sanctions were imposed against Ofer Brothers following the sale to Iran of a tanker owned by a subsidiary of Ofer Brothers.

The cable, which was sent to the U.S. Embassy in Athens ahead of talks on the matter with the Greek government, said that the information should also be conveyed to the Israeli government "to keep them aware of our strategy to target IRISL." The cable asked that the Greek authorities be reminded "of the risk that companies doing business with IRISL could, even inadvertently or unwittingly, facilitate the proliferation of items for use in a WMD, military, or missile program.