According to Marine Traffic, KABUL is a container ship that was built in 2001 and is sailing under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. In recent years, the economic activities of Shamkhani’s family, including his brother and son-in-law, have been widely criticized and made headlines in Iran. Shamkhani was an admiral in Iran’s navy and a former IRGC commander. He has recently been an outspoken critic of the Vienna talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal. After news about the impounded ship broke, critics quipped that continuation of United States’ sanctions are apparently good for Shamkhani family’s business interests. This week, the publication of an audio recording implicated top commanders of the Revolutionary Guards in a massive corruption scheme in mid-2010s.
