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Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers within the Gulf on Friday, shortly after Tehran warned it might take “punitive motion” towards Athens over the confiscation of Iranian oil by the US from a tanker held off the Greek coast, experiences Reuters.
“The Revolutionary Guards Navy as we speak seized two Greek tankers for violations in Gulf waters,” stated a Guards assertion, quoted by Iranian state information company IRNA. It gave no additional particulars and didn’t say what the alleged violations had been.
Greece’s overseas ministry stated an Iranian navy helicopter landed on Greek flagged vessel Delta Poseidon, which was crusing in worldwide waters, 22 nautical miles from the Iranian shore, and took the crew hostage, amongst them two Greek residents.
It stated the same incident occurred on one other Greek-flagged vessel close to Iran, with out naming the ship, including each actions violated worldwide regulation and Greece had knowledgeable its allies, in addition to complained to Iran’s ambassador in Athens.
Greece-based Delta Tankers, which operates the Delta Poseidon, couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
Greek authorities final month impounded the Iranian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, close to the coast of the southern island of Evia because of European Union sanctions.
The USA later confiscated the Iranian oil cargo held onboard and plans to ship it to the US on one other vessel, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The Pegas was later launched, however the seizure infected tensions at a fragile time, with Iran and world powers in search of to revive a nuclear deal that Washington deserted below former President Donald Trump.
Earlier on Friday, Nour Information, which is affiliated to an Iranian state safety physique, stated on Twitter: “Following the seizure of an Iranian tanker by the Greek authorities and the switch of its oil to the People, #Iran has determined to take punitive motion towards #Greece.”
It didn’t say what sort of motion Iran would take.
The Pegas was amongst 5 vessels designated by Washington on Feb. 22 – two days earlier than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – for sanctions towards Promsvyazbank, a financial institution considered as vital to Russia’s defence sector.
It was unclear whether or not the cargo was impounded as a result of it was Iranian oil or because of the sanctions on the tanker over its Russian hyperlinks. Iran and Russia face separate U.S. sanctions.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim information company later quoted an unnamed supply as saying: “There are 17 different Greek vessels within the Persian Gulf, which might be seized by the Revolutionary Guards if Greece continues its mischievousness.”
“Knowledgeable sources additionally stress that Greece ought to take compensatory measures in direction of the Iranian oil tanker as quickly as attainable,” stated Tasnim.
NUCLEAR TALKS
A maritime safety supply stated the opposite tanker seized on Friday was the Greek-flagged Prudent Warrior. Its operator, Greece-based delivery agency Polembros, instructed Reuters there had been “an incident” with certainly one of its ships, with out elaborating, including it was “making each effort to resolve the problem.”
U.S. advocacy group United Towards Nuclear Iran (UANI), which screens Iran-related tanker visitors by ship and satellite tv for pc monitoring, stated Prudent Warrior was carrying a cargo of Qatari and Iraqi oil, whereas the Delta Poseidon was loaded with Iraqi oil.
Every vessel was carrying roughly a million barrels, it stated.
“This could have direct implications on the JCPOA (Iran nuclear) negotiations and additional stalling any probabilities of reviving a deal,” Claire Jungman, chief of workers at UANI, instructed Reuters.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain stated it was conscious of the reported seizures and was trying into them.
Additionally on Friday, Iran summoned an envoy of Switzerland, which represents U.S. pursuits in Tehran, to protest towards the Pegas oil seizure, the Iranian overseas ministry stated.
“The Islamic Republic expressed its deep concern over the U.S. authorities’s continued violation of worldwide legal guidelines and worldwide maritime conventions,” state media quoted the overseas ministry as saying.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Division of Justice declined to touch upon the oil seizure.
IRNA quoted Iran’s Ports and Maritime Group as saying the tanker had sought refuge alongside the Greek coast after experiencing technical issues and poor climate. It known as the seizure of its cargo “a transparent instance of piracy”.
The USA on Wednesday imposed sanctions on what it described as a Russian-backed oil smuggling and cash laundering community for the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Drive.
In 2019, Iran seized a British tanker close to the Strait of Hormuz for alleged marine violations two weeks after British forces detained an Iranian tanker close to Gibraltar, accusing it of delivery oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Each vessels had been later launched.
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