On 23 October, the Wall Street Journal reported that Persian Gulf waters off Iraq have become a new, important waypoint for Iranian oil smugglers looking to avoid US sanctions, according to US officials, who expressed frustration that Baghdad and other allies aren’t acting more aggressively to enforce curbs on commerce with Tehran. Iranian tankers now regularly transfer crude to other ships just miles offshore the major Iraqi port of Al Faw, according to the officials. The oil is then mixed with cargoes from other places to disguise its origin, and it eventually ends up on sale in world markets.
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