State Department spokeswoman: "Our intent was to sanction the specific entities in the Sammy Ofer shipping organization that were responsible for providing a tanker to Iran"
The State Department lifted sanctions against the Ofer Holdings Group Inc, owned by a prominent Israeli business family, for allegedly selling an oil tanker to Iran last year, in violation of U.S. law.
In May, the US State Department announced a set of sanctions on several companies for doing business with Iran in violation of U.S. law, including the erroneously identified "Ofer Brothers Group," and Venezuela's state oil company. The U.S. did sanction the Venezuelan group, PDVSA.
The US State Department issued a brief statement last Tuesday clarifying culpability for the 2010 sale. The Ofer Holdings Group Inc, a family conglomerate, is no longer listed. However, three corporate entities indirectly owned by the group are subject to U.S. sanctions for their role in a deal that sullied the family name.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the original sanctions announcement in May "led to the conclusion by some banks and companies that we had intended to sanction all Ofer-owned companies. Our intent was to sanction the specific entities in the Sammy Ofer shipping organization that were responsible for providing a tanker to Iran."
The sale caused an outcry in Israel, which counts Iran as its mortal enemy and has urged strong international trade and financial sanctions to restrict Iran's lucrative oil business and international trade.
The clarification clears Ofer Holdings Group Inc. and the Ofer family itself of direct responsibility in the sale. "We are relieved that the U.S. State Department has made this important clarification," a statement from the Ofer family said Tuesday. "This is an important step forward."
