Iran seized the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, St. Nikolas, in the Gulf of Oman in retaliation for the United States’ seizure of the same ship and its Iranian oil cargo last year. The tanker was located east of Iran’s Qeshm island and was loaded with Iraqi crude oil destined for Turkey. The monitoring service, TankerTrackers.com, reported the location of the tanker on the social media platform X with and stated that its vessel tracking system was offline.
The US had seized the ship, sailing under the name Suez Rajan, as part of a sanctions enforcement operation. Iran warned that this move “would not go unanswered.” Iranian state media reported that the St. Nikolas was en route to Iranian ports, and the seizure coincided with attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen on shipping routes in the Red Sea.
The tanker’s occupation and the attacks in the Red Sea are part of escalating tensions in the region, with Iran retaliating for the US seizure of its oil cargo and ongoing conflicts in Yemen. This incident highlights the volatile situation in the Gulf region and the impact of geopolitical tensions on maritime trade.
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