Cairo: A ship with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has been monitored off Libya’s western city of Misrata, the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) has said.
“The vessel is involved in suspicious activities,” Ahmad Al Mesmari, the LNA spokesman said in televised remarks.
This month, the US designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group, imposing massive-ranging economic and travel sanctions on the powerful military arm of Tehran. The sanctions also cover companies and individuals dealing with the corps.
Misrata is under the control of a Tripoli-based government, supported by Qatar and Turkey, which are allies of Iran.
The ship is owned by an Iranian company, which is also under US sanctions, according to media reports.
The vessel, whose cargo is unclear yet, arrived at Misrata five days after it left a port in Bulgaria.
The LNA forces, commanded by Libya’s military strongman Khalifa Haftar, have been fighting for three weeks against militias linked to the Tripoli government in order to seize the capital and expel terrorist groups there.
Iran is increasingly under international pressure to stop its destabilising acts in the Arab region.
On Monday, the US declared ending sanctions waivers for Iranian oil imports as part of Washington’s stepped-up campaign against the Tehran regime.
Last year, US President Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions on Iran after he pulled out his country of a 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran.