Austin Ramzy

Austin Ramzy HONG KONG—For years, Hong Kong has flourished as China's hub for helping Iran survive punishing sanctions , much to the

U.S. sanctions on so-called shadow fleet tankers generally don’t confer sufficient legal authority to permit the seizure of those vessels at sea, legal experts say. The U.S. has relied on other powers to stop such vessels in recent months. Starting late last year, U.S. forces seized several tankers

Increasingly sophisticated means of disguise, and a large number of ships in the Persian Gulf, present a challenge of identification for U.S. forces. Follow along for live updates and analysis.

The containership seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman belongs to a subsidiary of a sanctioned Iranian state-owned group.

China said it was concerned about the seizure of the Touska, the Iranian-flagged tanker that has traveled often between China and Iran, portraying it as a potential obstacle to a peaceful settlement of the conflict. “We hope relevant parties can fulfill their obligations and abide by the cease-fire

The containership seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman belongs to a subsidiary of a sanctioned Iranian state-owned group and was sailing to Iran after visiting China late last month.

Iran, China and an array of middlemen have evaded U.S. sanctions for years by shipping oil on aging tankers with opaque records and transferring cargoes between ships at sea, all to avoid scrutiny and legal liability.

Obscure Chinese firms are openly shipping dual-use goods such as engines and batteries, defying American controls.

Austin Ramzy, Josh Chin On March 5, as the U.S. and Israeli militaries hammered Iranian targets and Tehran launched attacks at Tel Aviv and

The Russian leader arrived in the Chinese capital after President Trump’s summit and Ukrainian strikes on Moscow.