US sanctions Israeli firms for 'doing business with Iran' ...

"A day after Netanyahu received a hero's welcome from more than 10,000 supporters of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), members of the pro-Israel lobby hit Capitol Hill today to urge lawmakers to support tougher sanctions against Iran, among other measures. And so it came as no great surprise that the U.S. State Department chose today to roll out a list of seven international firms facing U.S. sanctions for allegedly doing business with Iran. There is, however, a curious twist in this particular list: two of the seven firms on the State Department list are owned by prominent Israeli businessmen. One is an Israeli shipping company called the Ofer Brothers Group, headed by Yehuda (Yuli) Ofer; the other is a company in Singapore called Tanker Pacific, owned by Sami Ofer (Yehuda Ofer's brother). The United States accused the two Ofer-owned firms, along with a third company in Monaco called Associated Shipping, of selling an oil tanker to an Iranian-owned shipping line last year... ...  "The Israeli government was consulted during this process," he said on condition of anonymity. "Israel supports implementing tough sanctions against Iran." The other companies the United States targeted for sanctions today include PCCI (based in Jersey/Iran); Royal Oyster Group (based in the United Arab Emirates), Speedy Ship (UAE/Iran), and Petróleos de Venezuela of Venezuela..."