Iran captured an American oil tanker on the 11th (local time) in the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, known as the ‘powder keg of the Middle East’.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on this day, “The Iranian Navy captured the American oil tanker ‘Saint Nicholas’ in the waters of the Gulf of Oman this morning,” adding, “This was in accordance with a court order.” The news agency reported, “The tanker stole Iranian oil this year and provided it to the United States.”
IRNA news agency also reported, “This seizure is retaliation for violations committed by the oil tanker and the theft of Iranian oil by the United States.”
The Marshall Islands-flagged St. Nicholas was implicated in smuggling sanctions-affected Iranian oil last year. The ship, whose name at the time was ‘Suez Rajan’, was carrying 980,000 barrels of Iranian crude oil and was caught by US authorities. Greek shipping company Empire Navigation admitted her charges and agreed to pay a fine of $2.4 million (about 3.16 billion won).
According to Empire Navigation, one Greek and 18 Filipinos were on board the oil tanker that day. The oil tanker was anchored in the sea near Basra, Iraq, to load oil to be transported to Turkiye Aliaga, then changed direction and headed to Bandar-e-Jask, Iran.
Tufras, the Turkiye state-owned oil company, told Reuters, “The vessel contained approximately 140,000 tons of crude oil that Tufras purchased from Iraq’s state-run oil company SOMO and was on its way from the port of Basra to our refinery.”
Earlier this morning, the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) warned that men in military uniforms were boarding the St. Nicholas without permission near the Gulf of Oman. UKMTO explained that an unknown voice was heard while on the phone with the captain, and that the call was attempted again but failed.
Ambray, a British maritime security company, also said, “Six men in military uniforms boarded the St. Nicholas, and they immediately blocked the surveillance cameras,” and that the Automatic Identification System (AIS) was also turned off.
The United States immediately reacted to the news of the capture. John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council (NSC), met with reporters and said, “There is absolutely no justification for seizing the ship,” and “the ship must be released immediately.”
The capture by the Iranian authorities took place in a situation where Yemen’s pro-Iran Houthi rebels launched indiscriminate attacks on merchant ships passing through the Red Sea after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last year, inflicting a blow to global maritime logistics. Some say that Iran has simultaneously demonstrated its control over the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, which are global trade routes.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.