Iranian ships face Europe ports ban

Iran's merchant fleet ("IRISL= Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines) might be in trouble - Lloyd's List reports "IRISL ships face Europe ports ban":

Sanctions already imposed by both the US and the United Nations have specifically been aimed at IRISL, which is accused of facilitating Tehran’s nuclear proliferation plans, despite its repeated denials.

Maltese foreign minister Tonio Borg has told the Times of Malta newspaper that the European Council has instructed foreign ministers to move against transport entities, including IRISL and other shipping outfits.

“Besides transport, a number of economic sectors will be targeted by the EU sanctions, which will also include a ban on investments, technical assistance and technology transfers to Iran’s oil and gas industry,” he said.

Thanks to Fred Fry for sending this on, with a note to the effect that Iran can't continue the shell game of "selling" and "reflagging" described here because "everyone knows who owned them and they really can't disguise that given that any legitimate buyer is almost certainly going to run afoul of the sanctions themselves given that actually buying the ships would involve transferring money."

UPDATE: Fred, by the way, will be a guest on Midrats this Sunday at 5 pm (Eastern).
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