US Sanctions Flouted: Tanker Transits Hormuz Undeterred
Read the original. Then read ours. Spot the difference: A US-sanctioned tanker, identified as the 'Rich Starry' and reportedly linked to China, has successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg News, in a recent report, highlighted this transit, acknowledging that the vessel, previously known as 'Full Star,' was blacklisted by Washington in 2023 for its alleged role in assisting Tehran
circumvent energy sanctions. This event, discussed by shipping analyst Navin Kumar and Bloomberg's Tom Mackenzie, suggests a direct challenge to the efficacy of US naval enforcement and economic pressure campaigns. Bloomberg frames this as 'testing US President Donald Trump’s naval blockade,' implying a reactive and somewhat isolated incident. What this framing omits, however, is the broader
context of a decades-long pattern of international actors bypassing US sanctions when such measures are perceived as unilaterally imposed and lacking multilateral legitimacy. The United States has enacted over 9,000 distinct sanctions against various entities globally since 1991, with Iran being a primary target since the 1979 revolution. This 'testing' is not an anomaly but a predictable response
to extraterritorial application of US law. This current transit of the 'Rich Starry' echoes historical instances where states have actively undermined US embargoes. For example, despite the severe US-led embargo against Cuba, which began in 1962, other nations, including parts of Europe and Canada, maintained trade relations, demonstrating that unilateral sanctions often fail to achieve their