Iran warns shipping companies against supporting US military operations: Report

Iran is closely monitoring the commercial and maritime network supporting US military offensives against the Islamic Republic, with the companies and service providers knowingly involved standing to face various consequences, a report says.

Iran’s Nournews agency carried the report on Monday, citing a military official with knowledge of the matter.

The official said Iran's Armed Forces were collecting and verifying information on commercial companies, privately owned vessels, and maritime service providers involved in supplying US forces in the region.

The source cited US documents concerning the Military Sealift Command's use of commercial vessels to transport fuel, ammunition, equipment, food, and other supplies. According to the official, such activities cannot be treated solely as commercial because the logistics chain contributes significantly to the United States military operational capacity.

Iran, the official said, will assess entities according to their actual role rather than their nationality or a vessel’s flag or registration.

“Any company, vessel owner, operator, ship manager, maritime services firm or commercial intermediary” knowingly involved in transporting essential supplies for US military operations against Iran could be identified as a logistical supporter and subjected to “appropriate sanctions as well as economic, legal, and retaliatory countermeasures.”

The official warned that third-country registration, commercial intermediaries, or private-sector designations would not necessarily shield entities from scrutiny. Companies and maritime service providers, the source noted, cannot knowingly participate in military logistics during wartime, while claiming to be merely commercial actors.

Iran has examined the involvement of companies, including Maersk, Schuyler Line Navigation, Crowley Government Services, Overseas Shipholding Group, Seabulk Tankers, and Patriot Contract Services, in connection with contracts, missions or logistical capabilities. It has also collected information on vessels, including SLNC Corsica, SLNC Goodwill, SL Hawaii, SLNC Severn, Liberty Power, TORM Timothy, Overseas Mykonos, Stena Polaris, SLNC Pax, Stena Impeccable, Stena Imperative, TORM Thor, TORM Thunder, and Maersk Peary.

However, the official stressed that being named does not imply equal responsibility. The extent and nature of each entity's involvement will be determined after Iran completes its documented investigations and cross-checking.

According to the source, the investigation is ongoing and is not limited to the companies and vessels already identified. Any additional entity found to have links to the logistical support of US military operations against Iran will be added to the case file.

The official concluded that “war does not come at a cost only on the battlefield,” warning that those who knowingly provide commercial and logistical infrastructure for military operations against the Islamic Republic should not expect their involvement to remain hidden.

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