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US targets Chinese refinery in sweeping Iran oil crackdown, sanctions ‘shadow fleet’ tankers
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The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday sanctioned a major Chinese oil refinery and dozens of ships tied to Iran’s «shadow fleet,» escalating efforts to choke off Tehran’s main source of revenue.
Officials said in a press release the move targets Hengli Petrochemical, one of Iran’s largest oil buyers, along with a network of shipping companies and tankers responsible for transporting billions of dollars worth of petroleum products to foreign markets.
The Treasury Department identified these «shadow fleet» vessels as the financial lifeline for Iran’s «unstable regime.»
SECOND TANKER SEIZED NEAR VENEZUELA AS US ENFORCES OIL BLOCKADE
The crackdown is part of Economic Fury, a broader campaign to squeeze Iran’s economy by limiting its ability to sell oil abroad, revenue the U.S. says funds the regime’s military and destabilizing activities across the Middle East.
«Economic Fury is imposing a financial stranglehold on the Iranian regime, hampering its aggression in the Middle East and helping to curtail its nuclear ambitions,» Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
An oil tanker near the terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, as U.S. officials and analysts consider whether seizing the island could significantly impact Iran’s oil exports. (Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co. is a China-based «teapot» refinery, a term used for independent facilities known for purchasing discounted crude, including from sanctioned countries.
The refinery, one of China’s largest independent facilities, has received Iranian oil cargoes from sanctioned shadow fleet vessels since at least 2023. Hengli has also purchased oil tied to Iran’s armed forces, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the Iranian military.
Hengli has also received shipments tied to Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company, a firm identified by U.S. officials as a front for Iran’s armed forces that helps facilitate oil sales abroad.
The company operates on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, using a network of intermediaries and vessels to move sanctioned crude, with proceeds helping fund the country’s military programs and regional proxy groups.
IRAN’S REMAINING WEAPONS: HOW TEHRAN CAN STILL DISRUPT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
The Iranian-flagged Touska cargo ship after U.S. forces launched missiles at its control room after its violation of the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz April 20, 2026. (U.S. Central Command )
The new sanctions also target the network that makes these oil sales possible, a «shadow fleet» of aging tankers and shell companies that move petroleum across global markets while evading sanctions and obscuring the origin of shipments.
These ships avoid detection by transferring cargo from one tanker to another in the open ocean. Treasury officials said 19 vessels were targeted in the action.
A U.S. military helicopter hovers over the sanctioned stateless crude oil tanker M/T Tifani during an interdiction April 21, 2026. (Department of War)
The move is part of the Trump administration’s renewed «maximum pressure» campaign against Iran, aimed at cutting off the regime’s primary source of revenue through oil exports and sanctions enforcement.
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U.S. officials say oil exports remain the backbone of Iran’s economy, and efforts to restrict those flows are designed to limit the government’s ability to fund its military, support proxy groups and advance its nuclear program.
Treasury officials warned that additional sanctions are likely as the U.S. continues targeting the networks, intermediaries and buyers that enable Iran to move oil on the global market.
iran, sanctions, economy, armed forces, nuclear proliferation, energy
INTERNACIONAL
En Panamá 10 nuevos pacientes por semana se suman a quienes ya reciben terapia de hemodiálisis
Unos 10 nuevos pacientes por semana se están sumando a los 338 que actualmente reciben terapia de hemodiálisis en la Caja de Seguro Social.
Esta situación ha llevado a la entidad ha tener cinco turnos diarios de hemodiálisis, mediante ajustes operativos que permiten sostener la cobertura del servicio, lo que supera la capacidad de tres a cuatro turnos, que según fuentes de salud “es lo ideal».
Cerca de 150,000 personas en el país presentan algún grado de enfermedad renal crónica, y de este grupo alrededor del 14% padece la variante no tradicional, que afecta sobre todo a trabajadores agrícolas, de la construcción y minería expuestos a condiciones climáticas extremas.
Las provincias de Coclé, Herrera, Los Santos y Veraguas concentran la mayor proporción de casos de enfermedad renal crónica no tradicional.
La enfermedad renal crónica tradicional está vinculada a enfermedades como la hipertensión y la diabetes, mientras que la enfermedad renal crónica no tradicional, también conocida como Nefropatía Endémica Mesoamericana, se asocia a factores ambientales y ocupacionales, como el calor extremo, la deshidratación y la exposición a agroquímicos, de acuerdo con el Ministerio de Salud.
La enfermedad renal crónica tradicional se manifiesta con síntomas de evolución lenta, entre los que se encuentran fatiga, problemas para orinar y debilidad.
En el caso de la enfermedad renal crónica no tradicional, los signos suelen aparecer en etapas avanzadas, lo que hace que la prevención sea fundamental.
Panamá, en conjunto con países de Centroamérica y República Dominicana, desarrolla estrategias conjuntas para enfrentar estas enfermedades, enfocadas en reforzar la docencia comunitaria, la prevención y la detección temprana.
La detección de ambas enfermedades renales se realiza principalmente a través de pruebas de laboratorio, como análisis de sangre y orina, para evaluar la función renal. También se utilizan pruebas de imagen, como el ultrasonido renal, para visualizar los riñones y detectar anomalías; al no presentar síntomas en sus etapas iniciales, la detección temprana a través de pruebas de rutina es crucial.
De acuerdo con los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC), la enfermedad renal crónica suele avanzar lentamente y con pocos síntomas, lo que dificulta su detección temprana. Muchas personas no descubren que la padecen hasta fases avanzadas, cuando requieren diálisis o un trasplante de riñón para sobrevivir.
El Ministerio de Salud detectó un incremento significativo de la enfermedad renal crónica, especialmente en su forma no tradicional, como consecuencia directa de las altas temperaturas y el estrés térmico.
Durante mayo de este año la temperatura promedio en Panamá alcanzó los 37°C (98,6°F), con sensaciones térmicas superiores a 40°C (104°F), según reportes del Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología de Panamá (IMHPA).
Estas condiciones incrementan el riesgo de insolación, deshidratación y golpes de calor, especialmente entre quienes realizan actividades al aire libre por periodos prolongados.
Por su parte, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) describe la enfermedad renal crónica como una pérdida gradual de la función renal que no tiene cura, pero cuyo tratamiento busca controlar síntomas, reducir complicaciones y retrasar la progresión de la enfermedad.
Asimismo, el Programa Subregional de la OPS para Centroamérica y República Dominicana (CAM) ha señalado que la enfermedad renal crónica no tradicional es un tema prioritario dentro de la cooperación en salud, promoviendo acciones para mejorar las condiciones laborales, fortalecer la detección temprana, la vigilancia en salud y garantizar una atención integral a las personas afectadas.
Entre los factores de riesgo señalados por las autoridades destacan el trabajo físico intenso en ambientes de calor extremo, la exposición continua al sol, la deshidratación prolongada sin reposición suficiente de líquidos, el consumo excesivo de analgésicos y antiinflamatorios que pueden afectar los riñones, y pertenecer al grupo de adultos jóvenes.
La enfermedad renal crónica no tradicional se presenta de manera progresiva y silenciosa, lo que refuerza la importancia de la prevención.
La OPS incluyó la enfermedad renal crónica no tradicional como tema prioritario en su programa subregional para Centroamérica.
corresponsal:Desde Panamá
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Republican Steve Hilton has won one of the two tickets to the November California gubernatorial election in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in steering the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, will advance to the general election, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
Democrat-dominated California holds what’s known as a jungle primary in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.
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Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, speaks during a roundtable discussion with representatives from Child Guidance Center in Santa Ana on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
The big question is who Hilton will face in November.
His top two rivals heading into primary day were Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden’s administration and would make history as California’s first Latino governor in modern history, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party’s 2020 presidential nomination and who has shelled out over $200 million of his own money in his bid for governor.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, as well as Democratic candidates former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, were among the whopping 61 candidates on the ballot.
Hilton is hoping to become the first California Republican to win a gubernatorial election since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election two decades ago.
Steve Hilton, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in California, details during a Fox News Digital interview his plan to set up a commission to investigate fraud in the Golden State, on June 1, 2026, in Los Angeles (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla mulled launching Democratic bids for governor, but both last year announced they would take a pass. That resulted in the lack of a clear Golden State gubernatorial frontrunner for the first time in more than a quarter century.
MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS DOG SWALWELL AS DEM RIVALS SEIZE OPENING IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE
And the race was overshadowed for much of last year, as the devastation from the Los Angeles-area wildfires and President Donald Trump’s immigration raids grabbed headlines in California.
But the showdown for governor entered the spotlight earlier this year when one of the leading candidates, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and then resigned from Congress following a political implosion after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he continues to deny.
Matt Mahan, Xavier Becerra, Chad Bianco, Steve Hilton, Tom Steyer and Katie Porter appear during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg – Pool/Getty Images)
Swalwell’s exit from the race opened the door for first Steyer and then Becerra to rise in the polls.
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Steyer, who unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, spent more than $200 million of his own money to blanket the airwaves and the internet with ads. Meanwhile, more than $80 million in outside money has also been spent on the race.
Bianco, who launched his campaign for governor in April of last year, was among the top contenders in the race until Trump’s endorsement of Hilton in early April blunted his momentum.
tom steyer, gavin newsom, eric swalwell, california, arnold schwarzenegger, gubernatorial, elections
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