Iran confirms seizure of oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman

The Iranian Navy on Thursday captured Marshall Island-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on accounts of a court order, state-owned media agency IRNA reported.

PHOTO: Flags of Iran and the US depicting conflict. Getty Images

The oil tanker, St. Nikolas, owned by the Greek shipping company Empire Navigation, carrying 145,000 mt of Iraqi crude oil was en route to Turkey via the Suez Canal when it was seized by Iran.

The company said that it lost all contact with the vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday. It had 19 crew members onboard.

According to the Iranian Navy, St. Nikolas was affiliated with the US and sailed under the name Suez Rajan earlier. It claimed that this is the same vessel that had “stolen an Iranian oil cargo and handed it over to the US,” a year ago, IRNA reported.

Souring Iran-US relations

The US has accused Iran of supporting multiple militant groups, including the Yemen-based Houthis and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and its involvement in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The spillover of hostilities into the Red Sea has resulted in substantial damage to commercial vessels and global trade.

Iran's recent actions could exacerbate tensions with the US, potentially prompting Washington to consider imposing even more stricter sanctions on Iranian oil, in addition to the sanctions that were reinstated in 2018.

The White House has condemned Iran for seizing the tanker, Reuters reported.

"No justification whatsoever to seize it, none whatsoever. They need to let it go," Reuters quoted White House national security spokesperson John Kirby as saying.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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