The tropical country is suspected of aiding Russia and Iran

The Cook Islands, identified for years as a secluded tropical paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with turquoise lagoons, quiet beaches and endless tranquility, are now at the center of a surprising geopolitical storm. The microscopic country, best known as a destination for vacationers and honeymoon hotels, finds itself in the headlines due to concerns from Western countries about its role in the Russian-Iranian oil smuggling network, known as the “Shadow Fleet”.

At the center of the controversy is a modest office of the Maritime Cook Islands company, located next to a pizzeria. The firm operates one of the fastest growing ship registries (systems where ships are registered under a state flag to avoid harsh regulation and high taxes) in the world. Here, foreign tankers, without their owners having ever set foot in the islands, can acquire the right to fly the Cook Islands flag.

According to US and British sanctions data analyzed by news agencies, at least 34 tankers suspected of smuggling crude oil for Russia and Iran between 2024 and 2025 were registered under the Cook Islands flag. Western officials claim that these ships are part of a system that evades sanctions and hides oil shipments by using “flags of convenience” from countries with more lax oversight.

New Zealand, the closest diplomatic partner of the Cook Islands, reacts in particularly harsh language. The office of Foreign Minister Winston Peters called the situation “alarming and infuriating. A foreign policy complication that cannot be accepted.” As a self-governing region “in free partnership” with New Zealand, including cooperation in the defense and foreign fields, the decisions of the Cook Islands affect far beyond their population of 17 thousand inhabitants.

Ship lists are an important source of income for many Pacific Island economies. Foreign ship registration fees have increased the income of the Cook Islands government by more than 400 percent in the last five years, and although it is a small country, this income is of enormous value domestically.

But at the same time, this system exposed the islands’ ship lists to a threat that could harm them. Networks from North Korea, Iran and now Russia have abused sloppy registration systems, and in 2024, an update by the European Parliament cited the Cook Islands as one of the most common flags of clandestine tankers carrying Russian oil. Some of the incidents linked to Russia were particularly dramatic, and a Finnish investigation concluded that the tanker Eagle S, registered under the flag of the Cook Islands, which is suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet, hit five submarine cables in the Baltic Sea after dragging its anchor, and it is suspected that this was an act of deliberate sabotage.

The Maritime Cook Islands company denies all suspicions, and emphasizes that any suspicious ship is immediately deleted from its registration system. The company repeatedly claims that its list “did not hide any ship that is under sanctions”. But intelligence sources in the West claim that the negligent supervision, even if not on purpose, allows Russia to avoid the sanctions and sell oil in a clandestine manner, which finances Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The Cook Islands’ new appearance at the center of geopolitical consciousness comes at a time when the Pacific itself is becoming a major arena for geopolitical competition. Not only between the US and China, but also between countries that are looking for diplomatic allies in international forums.

One of these ties is with Israel, which has been cultivating particularly deep ties with the nations of the Pacific Islands for decades. The Cook Islands established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2008 and maintain a consulate in Tel Aviv. Through MASHAV, Israel’s international development agency, the people of the Cook Islands receive training in issues such as water management, agriculture, climate change resistance and health, essential issues for small island nations.

This cooperation has translated into stable political relations, and although Cook Islands is not a full member of the United Nations, it is seen as one that identifies with Israel in the international system. In 2023, it was among the 120 countries that voted in favor of a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, but in general throughout the Pacific, support for Israel remains strong and sometimes prominent.

Israel’s ties with the Pacific Islands are part of a decades-old diplomatic strategy. In exchange for development aid and high-level attention, Israel gets access to a group of countries with about 20 votes in the United Nations, a valuable advantage for a country that is often diplomatically isolated.

Among Pacific nations, leaders cite shared religious heritage, Western alliances and economic partnerships as incentives for these ties. Cook Islanders, like many in the Pacific, emphasize the principle of “friends with all, enemies of none,” but in practice the region tends to support Israel in controversial votes.

The combination of profitable but problematic ship registration, increasing oversight by Western sanctions authorities, and long-term diplomatic relations with Israel has made the Cook Islands an unexpected geopolitical focal point. The irony is striking: a country sold as a paradise of tranquility, crystal clear waters and reef-lined resorts has become an important point in a global fight over oil, sanctions and clandestine maritime networks. The war between Russia and Ukraine, Iran’s regional ambitions, the enforcement of Western sanctions and the Pacific-Israel diplomacy, all of these merge in a place that is usually seen as a small spot of palm trees and a blue horizon.

While the Cook Islands is now the focus of international scrutiny, tourism remains the backbone of the country’s economy. Boasting some of the most beautiful beaches and islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands attracts visitors seeking both relaxation and adventure. The number of annual visitors to the islands is usually around 200,000 tourists, most of them from neighboring New Zealand and Australia, with tourism accounting for about 70 percent of the country’s GDP. The islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki, in particular, are major destinations, offering clear lagoons, hiking trails and traditional Polynesian cultural experiences.