The Trump administration is reportedly planning to reimpose a sanction this November on an Iranian ship stationed in the Red Sea for months that has allegedly provided significant military assistance to terrorist groups in Yemen, U.S. officials and military experts familiar with the situation told The Washington Free Beacon.
U.S. officials confirmed to the publication that the punitive measure against the ship, known as the Saviz, was lifted alongside other American sanctions under the Obama administration to maintain the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. This allowed the cargo ship to sail freely.
“The Iranians aren’t even trying to disguise the military use of the ship,” one U.S. official, who was unauthorized to speak on record regarding the circumstance, told the outlet. “You don’t need classified intelligence or satellite photos of the decks to know that merchant ships simply don’t act this way.”
The vessel’s “suspicious activities have been cited in recent months by U.S. military experts and foreign governments, including the Saudi government, which has been targeted by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels,” reported the Free Beacon. The Saudis have been monitoring the cargo ship for more than a year, documenting its presence in the Red Sea.
Other sanctions expected to be reimposed on Iran on Nov. 5 include the regime’s shipping, ship-building sectors and other related measures.