"Liquid Freedom": First Company to Export US Crude Oil Now Exporting Iran's Oil

Cross-Posted from DeSmogBlog

Proponents of lifting the U.S. crude oil export ban trumpeted the rhetorical question that since U.S. geopolitical rival Iran can export its oil, why can't the United States?

But now that "liquid freedom" has begun to flow from American export terminals to the global market, it turns out the same company that exported the first batch of U.S. crude oil to the global market is now also exporting Iranian oil products. That company, the Switzerland-based Vitol Group, was profiled in an investigative piece on DeSmog late last year. 

"Vitol, one of the world's largest traders in oil and oil products in terms of volumes, has fixed three vessels to load Iranian condensate," Platts reported on January 29. "The recent removal of sanctions on Iran has resulted in international companies rushing to trade in Iranian petroleum with the latest being Vitol."

"[T]he president lifted sanctions on Iran, letting the regime sell its oil into global markets," U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — who has taken over half a million dollars in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry for her 2016 re-election run — said in the video, "[W]e ensured American producers can do the same by repealing an outdated export ban that applied to the United States." 

Murkowski failed to mention that Vitol, and other oil traders like it, can now profit from both sides of the geopolitical conflict. And much of that is, of course, thanks to President Obama.