In a report that was released by the state-controlled IRNA news agency, it was acknowledged that Iran’s navy had taken possession of an oil tanker.
Iranian state media stated that Iran had taken possession of a ship carrying Iraqi crude oil that was headed for Turkey. This action was taken as a form of retaliation for the United States’ seizure of the same vessel and its oil the previous year.
This action is likely to exacerbate tensions in the entire area.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy captured an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman in line with a court decision, according to the IRNA news agency, which is owned by the Iranian government.
“The St. Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran’s Navy after the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year,” the navy claimed, as published by the Iranian news outlet Fars. “The theft of Iranian oil occurred last year.”
The seizure comes after several weeks of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea carried out by Houthis, who are affiliated with Iran and are from Yemen. In the midst of Israel’s assault on Gaza, the Houthi rebels have stated that they are carrying out the strikes in order to show their support with the Palestinian people living in Gaza.
The attacks carried out by the organization have increased the likelihood of retaliation strikes being carried out by forces headed by the United States that are patrolling the major canal. This is especially true in light of the fact that the United Nations Security Council voted on Wednesday to condemn the Houthis.
On the other hand, while the Houthis have been concentrating their efforts on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is located to the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, the event that occurred on Thursday was situated closer to the Strait of Hormuz, which is located between Oman and Iran.
According to Ambrey, a marine security company based in the United Kingdom, the incident started at approximately 7:30 a.m. (03:30 GMT) when a number of armed men boarded the St. Nikolas, which was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.
This occurred approximately 50 nautical miles east of Sohar in Oman and then proceeded to go towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.
A website called TankerTrackers.com, which monitors and reports on crude oil movements throughout the world, stated that the tanker was transporting “Iraqi oil” and had previously been known by the name Suez Rajan.
According to Ambrey, the vessel that was recently renamed had been punished and fined in the past for transporting Iranian oil that was subject to sanctions and was seized by authorities in the United States.
A disagreement that had been going on for a year came to a conclusion when the United States Department of Justice confiscated one million barrels of Iranian petroleum.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is connected to the British military and offers warnings to sailors in the Middle East, stated that the incident started in waters between Oman and Iran.
The UKMTO also stated that it had received a report from the ship’s security manager that the captain and the ship’s security manager had heard “unknown voices over the phone.”
The men, according to Ambrey, covered surveillance cameras as they boarded the vessel where they were traveling. The tanker’s tracker was turned off when it appeared to be heading in the direction of Bandar-e-Jask, according to the report.
According to MarineTraffic.com, a website that tracks vessels, the St. Nikolas was making its way to Turkey from the port of Basra in Iraq.
The yacht was chartered by the Turkish oil refiner Tupras, according to the operator, and it was staffed by a crew of 19 people, including 18 Filipino nationals and one Greek citizen.
A number of hijackings and attacks have taken place over the years in the Gulf of Oman, which is a crucial route for the oil sector and serves as a boundary between Iran and Oman. Iran has frequently been involved in these incidents.
Iran and the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, have also had a series of tense contacts in the canal since the collapse of the nuclear deal between Iran and the United States on nuclear matters.
Since 2019, the United States and its allies have been taking Iranian oil cargoes, which has resulted in a series of incidents throughout the Middle East that have been linked to Iran.
Additionally, Iran’s military and paramilitary forces have been capturing ships, which poses a threat to world shipping.
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