Iran Oil Cargo Previously Seized by US Unloads in Syria

Iranian oil tanker Pegas off Greece coast on April 19, 2022. (Reuters)

London: Asharq Al Awsat

09:08-3 December 2022 AD ـ 10 Jumada Al-Ula 1444 AH

London: Asharq Al Awsat

09:08-3 December 2022 AD ـ 10 Jumada Al-Ula 1444 AH

Iran Oil Cargo Previously Seized by US Unloads in Syria

Iranian oil tanker Pegas off Greece coast on April 19, 2022. (Reuters)

An Iranian-flagged tanker on Friday delivered an oil shipment to Syria, which the United States had previously confiscated around Greece, ending months of uncertainty about the cargo, a ship tracker said.

The seizure from the Lana, formerly the Pegas, prompted Iranian forces in May to seize two Greek tankers in the Middle East Gulf, which were released on Nov. 16.

Satellite tracking data showed the Lana had discharged the cargo of around 700,000 barrels in the Syrian port of Banias, said Claire Jungman, chief of staff with US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic through ship and satellite tracking.

Jungman told Reuters Iran’s shipments to Damascus “are regarded as a way of strengthening the country’s regional position and are also a major part of the regime’s survival strategy.”

The Lana's last reported position on Nov. 20 was anchored off Syria's coast, according to ship tracking on Eikon.

Syria is undergoing severe fuel rationing as a response to shortages, leading to rolling cuts in the electricity and telecoms sectors.

Syrian imports from Iran vary monthly.

According to UANI analysis, Syria received 1.39 million barrels in shipments from Iran in November, down from 3.5 million barrels in October and 3.7 million barrels in September.

The United States had hired a tanker in April to impound the oil onboard the Lana, which had been anchored off Greece.

The oil was then partly removed and placed aboard the Ice Energy tanker, which had been chartered by Washington and had been expected to sail to the US before Greece’s supreme court ruled the cargo should be returned to Iran.

For over two months, the Lana remained under arrest off the Greek island of Evia. It was tugged to Piraeus following court orders that allowed its release.

Venezuela Govt, Opposition Wrap Up Round of Post-Maduro Talks

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during a press conference addressing the government's response to the back-to-back earthquakes in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

Asharq Al Awsat

07:04-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

07:04-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Venezuela Govt, Opposition Wrap Up Round of Post-Maduro Talks

Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives on Wednesday wrapped up a first round of talks aimed at reconciling the nation following the US ouster of longtime leader Nicolas Maduro.

A joint statement issued by the two sides highlighted agreement on two topics after several days of discussion: reforming the judiciary and seeking access to frozen funds to aid in earthquake recovery efforts.

Both sides committed to "initiate a process that contributes to the transformation of the justice system," including "Reforms to the Organic Law" of Venezuela's top court, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ).

The TSJ notably validated Maduro's 2024 reelection, despite serious allegations of fraud and no public release of the official results.

The document did not mention the National Electoral Council, another body the opposition hopes to overhaul after it also upheld Maduro's disputed victory.

In light of the devastating twin earthquakes on June 24, which have left over 6,300 people dead, both sides also agreed to work toward the release "Venezuela's international reserve assets held at the Bank of England."

Under Maduro, Venezuela had tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to access the funds.

The joint statement also called for the establishment of "mechanisms for transparency, traceability, and auditing" to make sure the funds are properly used.

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez's government was represented at the talks by her brother Jorge Rodriguez, who is also the head of Venezuela's National Assembly.

Delcy Rodriguez was Maduro's vice president, but has nonetheless led the country with Washington's blessing, and has won praise from US President Donald Trump for acceding to his administration's desires.

- 'No naivete' -

The opposition was meanwhile represented by Dinorah Figuera, leader of the political bloc that won a majority in the 2015 National Assembly, the last legislature elected in a vote widely recognized by the international community.

Notably absent from the table is exiled opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who has said she will not stand in the way of the process.

Many Venezuelans are hopeful that the transition talks will lead to democratic elections.

Over the last six days of talks, Figuera met separately with representatives of political prisoners, retirees and media workers and promised to advocate for their demands.

"We are in this process to achieve a democratic and free Venezuela," the politician wrote on X on Tuesday.

Dozens of opposition supporters gathered outside the hotel in Caracas where the talks were being held.

A source from the opposition delegation, who requested anonymity, compared the interim government to Nicaragua's oppressive administration, which the United States considers a dictatorship.

"There is no naivete on the part of the opposition delegation," the source said, adding that it "must take advantage of this window of opportunity."

Elections will only be announced after the reforms give way to a new Electoral Council, the source believes, adding that laws regulating terrorism and dissent need reforms due to their past use to persecute political prisoners.

The source told AFP the delegation viewed Machado as "the leader of the Venezuelan opposition...she is the voice that Venezuelans identify as their own."

Some commentators believe that US President Donald Trump has vetoed Machado's return to Venezuela, which Washington denies.

The US leader has repeatedly voiced satisfaction with Rodriguez's administration.

World

Russian Attack Sets Ablaze Ukraine's Izmail Port infrastructure

A firefighter works at a compound of a port which was hit during overnight Russian drone strikes in the town of Izmail, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine, May 19, 2026. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

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06:43-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:43-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Russian Attack Sets Ablaze Ukraine's Izmail Port infrastructure

Russia struck the area around Ukraine's largest Danube port of Izmail overnight, causing damage and setting off a fire, regional authorities said ‌on the ‌Telegram messaging app.

Izmail, ‌near ⁠the Romanian border in ⁠the southern region of Odesa, handles grain and other commodities, and the attack ⁠comes a day after Ukraine ‌hit ‌Novorossiysk, a major ‌grain export hub in ‌Russia's part of the Black Sea, reported Reuters.

Romania, a member of NATO ‌and the European Union, scrambled two fighter jets, ⁠its ⁠defense ministry said on X, adding that an aerial target spent about 10 minutes in national airspace before leaving for Ukraine.

World

Zelensky: Ukraine Needs 5% of US Patriot Stocks to Get Through Winter

08 August 2026, Serbia, Belgrade: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic following their meeting at the Palace of Serbia. Photo: Marko Dimic/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

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06:40-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:40-13 August 2026 AD ـ 29 Safar 1448 AH

Zelensky: Ukraine Needs 5% of US Patriot Stocks to Get Through Winter

Ukraine needs five percent of the United States' Patriot interceptor missiles to get through the winter and 10 percent to destroy all of Russia's ballistic projectiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published on Thursday.

Russia has recently been firing mass barrages at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv roughly once a week, killing civilians and damaging or destroying homes, said AFP.

In one attack, Ukraine failed to intercept any of the 28 ballistic missiles launched at it.

Speaking to CNN, Zelensky said Ukraine this year "had two-and-a-half times less interceptors than we had in 2025".

"Russia has two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before," he said in English.

"This year, I'm asking American partners to sell me five percent of missiles (that) they have in their stocks.

"If they sell us five percent, we will go through the winter and save people's lives.

"If they can sell us 10 percent, we will destroy all the Russians' ballistic missiles."

Ukraine has reported an acute shortage of Patriot interceptors since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in February, diverting supplies of the advanced systems.

Ballistic missiles are much harder to intercept than cruise missiles or drones because they move faster and follow steep trajectories.

Asked if the United States had responded to his requests, Zelensky said: "The answer is, for today is next. I have one percent."

"From one percent to five percent, I have some months and millions (of) phone calls and anything else.

"I do some things which I can't even share. It doesn't mean that it's out of the law. But I can't speak about it."

Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday it would stop publishing detailed figures on Russian ballistic missile strikes.

The restrictions will concern "the number of targets launched, shot down, suppressed or those that failed to reach their targets", communications chief Yuriy Ignat said on Facebook.

Real-time warnings would continue unchanged, and the air force would keep providing generalized figures on Russian missile launches, he said.

Last month, Russia fired more than 450 missiles at Ukraine, nearly 200 of them on ballistic trajectories.

Iran Oil Cargo Previously Seized by US Unloads in Syria

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