TEHRAN, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran has been using its free zones to import essential goods under orders from Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Seyed Ali Madanizadeh, a move to ensure trade sustainability and bypass the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that a sanctioned Iranian very large crude carrier (VLCC) entered the country's southern waters without turning off its automatic identification system despite the U.S. naval blockade.
Citing data by maritime intelligence company TankerTrackers, Fars said the supertanker is on the sanctions list of the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, without specifying the vessel's name or entry date.
The VLCC, which can carry 2 million barrels of crude oil, entered Iran's territorial waters after sailing through the high seas and the Strait of Hormuz, effectively challenging the U.S. Central Command's sanctions and threats, Fars said.
The move sends a clear message to Washington that the Strait of Hormuz is in no way insecure for Iran-affiliated ships even under U.S. sanctions, it said.
Free zones have gradually become the "main pillars of the country's economic sustainability in the face of crises," according to the Mehr report.
Benefiting from their strategic locations on Iran's land and sea borders, facilitated regulations and flexible infrastructure, the free zones will serve as substitute routes for supplying essential goods when the country's main ports are under sanctions or blockade, Mehr said.
The decision of the Iranian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance to give the new mission to the country's free zones, especially those located in northern, northwestern and eastern Iran, aims to stabilize the domestic market and prevent supply chain disruptions, it added.
The United States imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz to prevent ships from accessing Iranian ports, which took effect after the failure of the Iran-U.S. peace talks in Pakistan's capital Islamabad late last week.
The peace talks were held Saturday and early Sunday, following a two-week ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel that took effect on April 8.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage by vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States. ■
