The US said Thursday (September 12th) that Iran had shown itself to be untrustworthy after a tanker apparently delivered oil to Syria in defiance of promises, AFP reported.
"I think the importance here to our friends around the world in the international community is to note that once again you have been lied to and misled by the Iranian regime," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
An Iranian vessel, originally called the Grace 1 and renamed the Adrian Darya 1, was held for six weeks by the British overseas territory of Gibraltar until authorities received promises it was not heading to Syria, Iran's main Arab ally.
The European Union maintains an embargo on Syria in response to President Bashar al-Assad's bloody crackdown on those who oppose his regime.
Britain said Tuesday that Iran breached assurances and that the ship transferred oil to Syria, summoning the Iranian ambassador to protest.
"The Iranian regime broke its word and appears intent on fueling the al-Assad regime's brutality against the Syrian people, who continue to face widespread violence, death and destruction," Ortagus said.
"This fits into the web of lies perpetrated by the Iranian regime for 40 years," she said.
"Their deception and broken promises are not just aimed at the international community but the Iranian people, too," she said, criticizing the regime's rights record.
