"Shadow Fleets," Sanctions & Western Media's International Law-ification of Arbitrary US Dictates - Citations Needed Recap

Podcast: Citations Needed

Published: 2026-03-11

Duration: 1 hr 22 min

Guests: Maryam Jamshidi

Summary

The episode examines how U.S. media uncritically adopts and amplifies U.S. government narratives, particularly around sanctions and international law, portraying unilateral U.S. actions as globally legitimate while ignoring their lack of true international consensus.

What Happened

U.S. media often frames U.S. sanctions as though they are international law, despite being unilateral measures imposed solely by the United States. The hosts highlight that trade violating U.S. sanctions is not inherently illegal under international law and draw comparisons to how U.S. arms deals with Taiwan, in violation of Chinese sanctions, are never framed as illicit in American media.

The concept of 'shadow fleets' or 'ghost fleets' is critiqued as a media invention designed to scandalize perfectly legal trade by countries like Venezuela and Iran. This language, including terms like 'dark fleets' and 'illicit oil,' creates a false perception of illegality and criminality where none exists under international law.

The episode argues that U.S. sanctions function as modern siege warfare, intended to economically devastate target nations and provoke regime change. Sanctions often block essential goods like food, medicine, and energy, with devastating humanitarian consequences. The hosts cite research estimating that U.S. and EU sanctions have caused 38 million deaths worldwide between 1990 and 2021.

Historical examples, such as the U.S. embargo on Cuba and sanctions on Iran post-1979, illustrate how media has long framed actions by U.S. adversaries as inherently suspicious, even when they are perfectly legal. This framing dates back decades, with the AP describing trade with Iran as 'artful dodging' in the 1980s.

The hosts critique the media's role as an arm of U.S. enforcement, noting that outlets like Reuters and the Associated Press spend resources investigating 'sanctions evasion' as if they are enforcing U.S. foreign policy. This dynamic is most visible in coverage of Venezuelan oil shipments, where the media often parrots think tank reports without questioning their ideological underpinnings.

Guest Maryam Jamshidi explains how U.S. actions, such as seizing oil tankers, often violate international law, which requires UN Security Council approval for sanctions enforcement. She emphasizes that U.S. media rarely acknowledges this, instead presenting unilateral U.S. dictates as global norms.

The episode also critiques the media's selective invocation of international law, noting that the U.S. frequently ignores international treaties and conventions, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, while simultaneously claiming to enforce them. This hypocrisy undermines the legitimacy of international law itself.

Ultimately, the episode argues that U.S. media plays a critical role in legitimizing imperial actions by laundering them through liberal legal language, even when the U.S. government itself does not bother to provide such justifications. This creates a feedback loop that reinforces American exceptionalism and distorts public understanding of international law.

Key Insights

• U.S. sanctions are often presented as international law in Western media, but they are unilateral actions that lack global legal legitimacy. For example, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan violate Chinese sanctions but are never framed as 'illicit'—a stark contrast to how trade by Venezuela or Iran is scandalized.
• The term 'shadow fleets' is a media construct designed to criminalize lawful oil shipments from nations like Iran and Venezuela. By using language like 'dark fleets' or 'illicit oil,' outlets create the illusion of wrongdoing despite these trades being fully legal under international law.
• Sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU have caused an estimated 38 million deaths globally between 1990 and 2021 by restricting access to essential goods like food and medicine. Far from being surgical tools, these measures function as economic warfare aimed at destabilizing governments.
• International law requires UN approval for sanctions enforcement, but the U.S. frequently seizes oil tankers unilaterally, breaking these rules. Western media rarely critiques this, instead portraying U.S. dictates as universal norms and obscuring the legal violations involved.

Key Questions Answered

What does Citations Needed say about U.S. sanctions on Venezuela?

The podcast argues that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are unilateral measures falsely framed as international law by the media, with devastating humanitarian impacts akin to siege warfare.

What are shadow fleets according to Citations Needed?

Shadow fleets, or ghost fleets, are media-invented terms used to describe legal trade activities by countries like Venezuela and Iran, scandalizing them as illicit despite no violation of international law.

How does Maryam Jamshidi critique U.S. sanctions enforcement?

She explains that U.S. enforcement of sanctions, such as seizing oil tankers, often violates international law, as only the UN Security Council can authorize such actions under international treaties.