Iraq's SOMO Denies Links to Iran-Sanctioned Tanker

⚓ BAGHDAD — SOMO denies the tanker; the sanctions caught it anyway. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: SOMO is Iraq's state oil arm — a denial this public means the US net hit close enough to require official distancing. Iran routes oil through Iraqi intermediaries as Hormuz tightens; SOMO involvement triggers secondary sanctions under Operation Economic Outcast. Iraq walks a tight line: US ally by treaty, Iranian neighbor by geography. This denial is damage control, not innocence.