Tehran stated that the measure was taken in retaliation for the seizure by Greece of an oil tanker
FILE IMAGE. The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy transfers crude oil from the Iranian-flagged tanker Lana (former Pegas), off the coast of Karystos, on the island of Evia, Greece, on May 26 (REUTERS/Costas Baltas)
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, announced Friday that they had seized two Greek oil tankers in the waters of the Persian Gulf, shortly after protesting Greece’s seizure of a ship with Iranian oil.
In a statement on its website, the Guardians of the Revolution indicated that its naval forces had “seized today (Friday) two Greek oil tankers (…) due to violations they committed.”
Following that statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece assured in a statement that“these acts are comparable to piracy”, warning Greek citizens to avoid traveling to Iran.
Athens reported that gunmen had lowered the two tankers from Iranian navy helicopters. One of the ships, the Delta Poseidon, was sailing in international waters at the time, the ministry said.
A spokeswoman for the Athens-based company Polembros identified the second tanker as the < b>Prudent Warrior. “The ship has been seized by the Iranian authorities. We have no communication with them at this time ”, she told the agency AFP .
< /p>The Liberia Ice Energy ship transferring oil to the Iranian ship Lana (former Pegas) off the coast of Karystos, Greece (REUTERS/Costas Baltas)
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported for its part than the The second tanker was off the Iranian coast when it was seized, and that there were nine Greek nationals among the crews of both ships, but he did not give the number of other sailors on board.
Athens has informed the European Union and the International Maritime Organization of the incident, the ministry said.
The acting ambassador of the Swiss embassy, which represents The United States on Iranian soil, was summoned this Friday by the Iranian Foreign Ministry to present a “strong protest for the violation of international regulations and free trade”. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also called for the immediate release of the ship.
On Thursday, the United States had seized a shipment of Iranian oil held on board of a ship operated by Russia near Greece and announced that it would send the cargo to North America aboard another vessel.
It was unclear whether the shipment was seized because it was Iranian oil or because of sanctions imposed on the tanker because of its ties to Russia. Iran and Russia face separate US sanctions.
< /p>FILE PHOTO: Iran’s flag is seen in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag ship, the Pegas, was one of the five ships designated by Washington on February 22 – two days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine – for the sanctions imposed on Promsvyazbank, a bank considered essential for the defense sector. of Russia.
The Russian owner of the vessel, Transmorflot, was subsequently sanctioned on May 8. The tanker, renamed Lana on March 1 and flying the Iranian flag since May 1, it has remained near Greek waters ever since. It previously had a Russian flag.
The Persian Gulf has been the scene of numerous incidents since May 2019, including attacks on oil tankers and freighters, amid rising tensions between Iran and the US for the sanctions imposed by the latter on the sale of Iranian oil.
In the latest incident, Iran accused the United States of trying to to hijack an oil tanker carrying Iranian crude to steal fuel in the Oman Sea in October, an action prevented by the Revolutionary Guards Navy.
With information from AFP and EFE
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