Web of Shell Companies Veils Trade by Iran’s Ships
New York Times / Jo Becker
08-Jun-2010 (one comment)

On Jan. 24, 2009, a rusting freighter flying a Hong Kong flag dropped anchor in the South African port of Durban. The stop was not on the ship’s customary route, and it stayed only an hour, just long enough to pick up its clandestine cargo: a Bladerunner 51 speedboat that could be armed with torpedoes and used as a fast-attack craft in the Persian Gulf.

The name painted on the ship’s side as it left Durban and made for the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas was the Diplomat, and its papers showed that it was owned by a company called Starry Shine Ltd. Both the name and provenance were of recent vintage. Six months earlier, the Diplomat had been the Iran Mufateh, part of a fleet owned by the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, known as Irisl.

Within months of the Durban episode, the United States government put out word that Irisl had renamed the ship and set up Starry Shine to evade American export controls aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining military-use technology like the Bladerunner 51.

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mahmoudg

hence why i advocate a naval blockade

by mahmoudg on Wed Jun 09, 2010 09:21 AM PDT

a complete naval blockaed by the US and allies is the only way to put pressure and pinch this regime where it hurts the most.  Money, mone, money. without it they cannot buy their foot soldiers and pay off Hamas and Hezbullah. You will see how quickly these worthless Arabs will abandon their masters at the helm of the IRI.


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