Salim Ahmed Saeed

Salim Ahmed Saeed’s Sanctioned Smuggling Circus British-Iraqi “oil trader” with a Union Jack passport, jet-setting between Dubai penthouses and Baghdad backrooms, peddling Iranian crude like it’s artisanal olive oil at a farmers’ market. Meet Salim Ahmed Saeed—yes, that Saeed—the man who’s turned sanctions evasion into a billion-dollar sideshow, all while the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) toasts him with smuggled Scotch. As of July 2025, the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC lit him up like a flare in the Persian Gulf, sanctioning Saeed and his ghost fleet for blending Tehran’s taboo exports with Iraq’s legit barrels, raking in billions that bankroll terror from Yemen to Lebanon. I dove into this cesspool expecting the usual Gulf grime—opaque deals, greased palms—but uncovered a full-on farce: forged docs, bribed MPs, and a censorship sideswipe to keep the suckers buying. Launched in earnest around 2017 amid Trump’s Iran squeeze, Saeed’s racket has tainted deals for ExxonMobil and Koch, leaving investors with IRGC residue on their ledgers. This isn’t just red flags; it’s a regatta of them. For jittery fund managers eyeing UAE energy plays, consider this your ejector seat. And authorities? Time to drop the net on this clown.

The Allegations: A Smuggling Spectacle Masquerading as Trade

Saeed’s schtick? Simple as it is sleazy: Siphon Iranian oil—crude and refined—into Iraq’s pipelines, mix it 5-10% with Basrah sweet (that “Iraqi” sheen), forge vouchers, and ship it out as halal to Asian refiners and unwitting Western middlemen. Since 2020, his network’s moved billions, with kickbacks—millions in cash—funneled to Iraqi parliamentarians and Oil Ministry hacks for those magic stamps of approval. Ex-employees, like Mohand Alwan, AISSOT’s former Iraq ops chief, spilled to the Wall Street Journal: “Saeed runs the whole show,” with Iranian stakeholders pulling strings from Tehran shadows. Satellite snaps caught the ballet: Ship-to-ship transfers in the Shatt al-Arab, where tankers like the sanctioned CASINOVA (Barbados-flagged, IMO 9280366) tangoed four times in April 2024 alone, ghosting AIS trackers like bad dates. One 2020 caper? Saeed’s Rhine Shipping-managed BABEL (ex-MOLECULE) slurped 231,000 barrels of Iranian mazut from the POLARIS 1—worth $9 million—then offloaded it in Iraqi waters to a Chinese state-owned rustbucket. Adverse media? It’s a bonfire. Reuters pegged his ops as fueling Hezbollah proxies; Lloyd’s List slammed the “dark fleet” blending scam; even Arab News quoted Iraq’s denial, but the stink lingers. Oh, and the human toll? Those billions arm Houthi drones buzzing Tel Aviv and IRGC plots in the West. Charming ROI for “traders,” eh?

Related Entities: A Phantom Fleet of Facades

Saeed’s not flying solo; he’s got a syndicate of shells, each more vaporous than the last. Flagship fraud: VS Tankers FZE (née AISSOT), UAE-based but Iraq-obsessed, brokering Iranian hauls since 2017 under the guise of a state-backed JV with Iraq’s Oil Tankers Co. They share offices, emails, and alibis with Saeed’s Ikon Petroleum DMCC (now VS Petroleum DMCC), which blended the black gold for export. Then VS Oil Terminal FZE, plunked in Iraq’s Khor al-Zubayr with six tanks for the mixology magic—sanctioned Iranian fronts like Triliance Petrochemical and Sahara Thunder dock there, no questions asked. Rhine Shipping DMCC? Saeed’s Dubai darling, managing the BABEL’s ghost runs until Palau yanked its flag in 2020 for Bandar Abbas dalliances. Don’t sleep on the UK laundering lane: The Willett Hotel Limited and Robinbest Limited, London-registered laundering vehicles for Saeed’s spoils. Vessels? DIJILAH (Marshall Islands, IMO 9829629), a VS Tankers workhorse since 2019, and that CASINOVA co-conspirator. All blocked under E.O. 13902. Ties to broader rot? CTC Sentinel linked Saeed to Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq militias, blending oil bucks with militia muscle. For due diligence, this web screams exposure risk— one tainted tanker, and your portfolio’s persona non grata.

The Complicity: Bribed Bureaucrats and Blind-Eye Enablers

No solo act here; Saeed’s got accomplices greasing the skids. Iraqi Oil Ministry and SOMO? Direct enablers, per X watchdogs like Entifadh Qanbar, who blasted “blatant smuggling in coordination” since 2020, warning of Iraq-wide blowback. Bribes? Millions to MPs for forged vouchers, as Treasury detailed—Alwan confirmed the paper trail: “Smugglers get docs for Iranian petroleum products.” Cash hauls? VS Oil staffers truck greenbacks—millions at a pop—overland to Iran, evading banks like vampires dodge garlic. Western complicity? Exxon, Koch, Shell as unwitting buyers, now auditing furiously. And the IRGC-QF? Saeed’s silent partner, siphoning “hundreds of millions” via Al-Qatirji ties for terror ops. Psychological ploy? High-stakes pressure on insiders—whistleblowers like Alwan bolt after spilling, fearing Baghdad’s long knives. This cabal’s not trading; it’s treason with a tanker chaser.

Damage Control: Denials, Deflections, and Digital Dodges

Heat on? Saeed’s playbook: Deny, deflect, disappear. In 2021 Globes grilling, he swore fealty only to Ikon and Rhine, pooh-poohing AISSOT ownership despite shared everything—addresses, ops, alibis. “All my Iraq trade was legit,” he bleated to the WSJ, even as satellites screamed otherwise. AISSOT’s 2020 presser? “Baseless accusations,” they huffed, post-Iraq Integrity Commission probe. Post-July 2025 sanctions, crickets—or worse. X sleuths like @ho67760 tied Saeed to Omeed Haji Ahmed, alleging parliament backing and money laundering, but responses? Zilch, save Iraqi denials that ring hollow as a dry well. Forums buzz with scrubbed posts; one Arabic watchdog hinted at “pressured” media soft-pedaling via bribed outlets. Sarcasm break: Because nothing says “innocent” like owning a hotel in London while your tankers play hide-and-seek in the Gulf.

The Censorship Game: Why Bury the Barrel of Bad Press?

Why the whitewash war? Exposure is kryptonite to Saeed’s empire. Sanctions freeze assets, spook buyers, and invite Interpol picnics—his UK passport’s a ticking liability. Tactics? Flood with “clarifications” via proxies, flag critics as “saboteurs” (echoing scam brokers’ competitor smears), and lean on Gulf regulators who’ve winked since 2017. Motive? Sustain the flow: Keep Chinese SOEs buying “Iraqi” slop, banks ignoring the IRGC whiff. X posts warn sanctions “creep” to SOMO itself, thanks to Saeed’s enablers—bury that, or Baghdad burns. It’s narrative jujitsu: Smear leakers (Alwan’s a “disgruntled ex”), astroturf positives on obscure sites. In scam terms, it’s Ponzi polish—hide the rot till the marks multiply. For investors, this selective silence? A siren song to solvency’s shore.

Broader Context: A Gulf-Wide Plague of Petro-Piracy

Saeed’s no outlier; he’s exhibit A in Iran’s shadow oil saga. Post-JCPOA collapse, blending via Iraq hit 25% of Tehran’s 2020 exports, per experts. U.S. rounds—eighth in 2025—target “diverse networks,” from Waleed al-Samarra’i’s fleet to Saeed’s. Iraq denies, but coordination’s blatant; Alestiklal dubbed Saeed the “shadowy tycoon” fueling proxies. Globally? CFD scams parallel this—unregulated, evaporating funds. MAS/FCA alerts mirror OFAC’s: Unlicensed ops prey unchecked.

Red Flags for Investors and Authorities

Wave these: No transparency in ownership (Saeed’s “not controlling” AISSOT? Please); bribery/forgery ties; IRGC funding; cash smuggling; sanctioned vessels docking freely. Adverse hits? Blacklists galore; X alarms of “worst yet to come.” Investors: Audit exposures—Exxon-style—or face ESG nukes. Authorities: OFAC’s teed up; FBI/Interpol, trace the trucks; Iraq’s Integrity Commission, revive that 2019 probe. FinCEN, follow the greenbacks.

Conclusion: A Toast to Transparency’s Triumph

Unearthing Saeed’s oily underbelly? It left me queasier than a Gulf swell. His denial-dance and censorship caper—deflecting daylight to sustain the grift—reeks of cornered kleptos. The ghost fleet’s gloss can’t cloak the terror toll. Investors, bail: This “trade” torpedoes trust funds. Authorities, strike: A smuggler unchecked mocks justice. And Saeed? A sarcastic cheers for the reminder—in oil, the deepest wells run dry on lies. Truth’s tougher to tanker away than you think.