The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, currently deployed in the region to counter threats by Iran and its proxy groups, successfully rescued two distressed Iranian mariners, the US Navy announced.
The rescue operation involved a rigid inflatable boat from the USS Daniel Inouye and a search and rescue helicopter from USS Theodore Roosevelt, the US CENTCOM announced on Thursday.
Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, commended the "swift and professional" response of the Navy sailors and aircrew, saying, "Aiding distressed mariners is a mission that our strike group will always stand ready to support."
The Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group has been conducting routine operations in the CENTCOM area of operation to deter Tehran-backed aggression and promote regional stability amid fears of an Iran-led retaliatory attack on Israel.
The rescue of Iranian sailors comes amidst ongoing tensions in the region, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels wreaking havoc on the international shipping in the area since November 2023.
The rebels released a video on Thursday showing them planting explosives aboard the Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, which had been abandoned after multiple attacks last week. The Houthis are seen in the video chanting their slogan: “Death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell on Friday warned that the attack by the Houthis against Greek oil tanker MV Sounion could result in an environmental disaster.
Since November last year, the Houthis have launched numerous attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, following Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's call for Muslim nations to blockade Israel's trade routes amid the Gaza war.
Hossein Shamkhani’s father, Ali Shamkhani, served as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) for almost a decade until last year, but he remains an advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Shamkhanis have been known to Iranians as insiders and Hossein, like the children of many other Iranian officials, has been implicated in several scandals over his diverse portfolio in shipping and international oil trade. However, the Bloomberg report has shed new light on his recent ventures, including his Dubai-based company, Milavous Group Ltd.
Read more: Tehran Media Speculate On Security Chief’s Dismissal
In the heart of Dubai’s corporate skyline, the relatively obscure firm quietly rented an office two years ago. Few had heard of the company, yet it soon emerged as a significant force in global energy markets. At the helm of the operation, according to insiders, is Hossein Shamkhani -- a man known in trading circles as “Hector” or simply H. Despite his low profile and sanctions on Tehran’s oil trade, Shamkhani has become one of the most influential figures in the distribution of Iranian oil worldwide.
Based on interviews with more than a dozen sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential business dealings, Bloomberg has uncovered details about Hossein Shamkhani's activities that suggest a complex, sprawling web of interconnected businesses are pushing vast quantities of Iranian and Russian oil into the market.
“People familiar with Shamkhani’s empire said he effectively oversees an intertwined web of companies, with Milavous operating as one of the parent firms. Business ownership, shareholding and control information are easy to obscure, and other executives have been formally registered as the owners and managers, the people said.”
His influence is so pervasive that the companies he oversees have a substantial global footprint, even though many in the industry remain oblivious to his true identity and the source of the crude they are trading.
Milavous, through its subsidiaries, engages in the blending and rebranding of crude oil and various petroleum products from Iran and Russia in third-party jurisdictions, such as the UAE port city of Fujairah. Additionally, it handles oil from countries that are not subject to sanctions. Such methods can obscure the origins of the oil and fuel, making it difficult for clients trying to determine its provenance, Bloomberg cited Matthew Levitt, a former counterterrorism official at the Treasury Department and FBI.
Milavous and other companies within Shamkhani’s network reportedly supply oil to the industry’s giants, including China’s Sinopec, Chevron in the US, and BP in the UK. While these corporations maintain they comply with all laws and sanctions, their connections to Shamkhani’s network highlight the opaque world of policing global oil trade.
According to Bloomberg sources, Milavous has generated billions of dollars in sales with its turnover in 2022 amounting to some $15 billion.
Unlike his father, Hossein Shamkhani has not been listed as a sanctions violator. Additionally, the UAE has not banned companies from trading crude oil from Iran or Russia. Entities within his network also engage in significant business dealings with Chinese buyers, often conducting transactions in yuan and beyond the purview of American sanctions, Bloomberg sources said.
However, if the US government decides to sanction any UAE-based company involved in violating US regulations, it can add them to its sanctions list. This can be especially problematic for banks facilitating such trades.
Despite not being personally sanctioned, Shamkhani has faced scrutiny from US authorities. Dozens of ships believed to be under his control have been sanctioned by the US Treasury, but their links to him were not publicized. Apparently, the US Treasury Department can sometimes find it more effective to target tankers rather than individuals because of frequent changes in ownership.
Back in 2022, a cargo ship reportedly belonging to the Admiral Shipping Company that Iranian media said is owned by Hossein Shamkhani and his brother Hassan was impounded in one of India’s ports.
Shamkhani and Milavous have repeatedly denied any involvement in illicit activities. In a written statement, Shamkhani categorically rejected claims of a connection to Milavous, asserting that he has no control over any oil companies or trading networks. Mohamed Al Hashmi, the Managing Director of Milavous, likewise dismissed allegations of ties to Shamkhani or involvement in Iranian or Russian oil trading. However, multiple sources suggest that Shamkhani's influence extends far beyond public knowledge. He is believed to have been instrumental in establishing dozens of companies.
Shamkhani's network extends beyond Iran. He spent time studying in Moscow and Beirut before returning to Tehran to earn a Master of Business Administration. His ties to Russia have proven especially valuable as Tehran and Moscow have forged deeper economic and military partnerships in response to Western sanctions.
Hossein Shamkhani's ascent in the oil industry is inextricably linked to his family's legacy. His father has been a towering figure in Iran's military and security establishment for decades and like many of his peers, he is dogged by scandals. Apart from reports about his sons -- Hassan and Hossein -- owning dozens of businesses, there have also been reports about the extravagant lifestyle of his family members in Iran and abroad. Iran International’s investigative journalist Mojtaba Pourmohsen has published several exposés about the family corruption, including his nephews Mo’ud and Naji Shamkhani.
Controversies reached their peak following allegations of extravagant properties and bank accounts held by Shamkhani’s family, including those of his toddler grandson.
In 2022, the Shamkhani family was implicated in the collapse of a building in southwestern Khuzestan province that killed scores of people. The owner of the building, Hossein Abdolbaghi, a well-connected businessman, had broken multiple regulations when constructing the building, having enjoyed the backing of officials including members of the Shamkhani family.
While the elder Shamkhani encouraged his son to pursue a career in the private sector, his connections and influence have undoubtedly played a pivotal role in Hossein's success.
On August 26, a day after this announcement, Yuriy Bilousov, Head of the War Crimes Department at Ukraine’s Prosecutor General's Office, stated in a television program that the opening of this criminal case signifies that Ukraine now recognizes Iran as a party involved in the war on its territory: "In fact, Ukraine has informed the entire world and presented evidence showing that Iranian military representatives are participating in Russia's attack on Ukraine."
According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, the investigation revealed that between July and August 2022, Russian military representatives reached an agreement with the Islamic Republic on the purchase of Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 attack drones, along with related equipment, from Iran.
Kostin further wrote that after the contract was signed, Iranian experts trained Russian soldiers to use these drones in combat operations against Ukraine.
In fact, in July 2022, the United States warned that Russia and Iran were engaged in a process to deploy Iranian suicide drones in the war.
Kostin added that between September and October 2022, a group of military instructors from the Islamic Republic launched at least 20 attack drones in Ukraine's Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions, leading to the destruction and damage of civilian infrastructure protected under international humanitarian law.
The Security Service of Ukraine had previously identified this IRGC brigadier general, stating that Brigadier General Sharifi Mollasaraei directly assisted in commanding Russian Federation occupation forces in attacks on Ukraine and organized the training of Russian troops.
Russia has used hundreds of Iranian kamikaze drones since October 2022 to attack civilian and infrastructure targets. Russia also uses the drones in large-scale missile attacks to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. The latest massive attack earlier this week saw around 100 Shahed drones used.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine, in 2022, Mollasaraei led a team of Iranian drone instructors who traveled to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General emphasized that this IRGC brigadier general is charged under Ukraine's criminal laws with "aiding in an aggressive war as part of a premeditated plan against Ukraine, violating the laws and customs of war, and committing war crimes."
The report also indicates that, in addition to Mollasaraei, seven other military personnel from the Islamic Republic who were sent as instructors to train Russian occupation forces in Ukraine and the occupied territories are facing similar charges.
In October 2022, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of providing military assistance to the aggressor country, Russia, in its war against Ukraine.
According to published reports, since the fall of 2022, the Russian Federation has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 and 131 kamikaze drones and Mohajer-6 multi-purpose drones in its war against Ukraine.
The Iranian government initially denied supplying its drones to the Russian military but later admitted to it, though it claimed that the drones were delivered before Russia's war against Ukraine began.
In November 2023, the White House warned that the Iranian government was preparing to provide ballistic missiles to Russia. Reuters later reported that Iran had already sent hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia.
