USA sanctions Gibraltar tanker and its captain

OFAC has designated the Adrian Darya 1 as blocked property, and designated its captain Kumar Akhilesh for acting for or on behalf of the IRGC-Qods Force under terrorism sanctions Executive Order 13224. The vessel, formerly known as the Grace 1, was released from the coast of Gibraltar on 18 August having been held for over 6 weeks for suspicion that it was breaching EU sanctions on Syria (see post). OFAC Notice and Press Release.

Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said that the Adrian Darya 1 enables the IRGC-QF “to ship and transfer large volumes of oil, which they attempt to mask and sell illicitly to fund the regime’s malign activities and propagate terrorism”. The Dept of State Press Release states that “non-US persons who knowingly provide significant goods, services, or support to the individuals and entities designated today may themselves face sanctions consequences”.