DUBAI / ATHENS, May 27 (Reuters) – Iranian forces captured two Greek tankers in the Gulf on Friday, shortly after Tehran warned it would take “punitive action” against Athens over US confiscation of Iranian oil. oil detained. the Greek coast.
“The Revolutionary Guard Navy today confiscated two Greek tankers for violations in the Gulf waters,” a Guardian statement was quoted as saying by the Iranian state news agency IRNA. He gave no further details and did not say what the alleged violations were.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry says an Iranian navy helicopter landed on the Greek-flagged Delta Poseidon, which was sailing in international waters, 22 nautical miles off the Iranian coast, and took the crew hostage. , including two Greek citizens.
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He said a similar incident took place on another Greek-flagged ship near Iran, without naming the ship, adding that both actions violated international law and that Greece had informed its allies, as well as he had complained to the Iranian ambassador in Athens.
Delta Tankers, based in Greece, which operates the Poseidon Delta, could not be reached for comment immediately.
Greek authorities arrested last month the Iranian-flagged Pegasus, with 19 Russian crew on board, off the coast of the southern island of Evia due to European Union sanctions.
The United States later confiscated the Iranian oil cargo it had on board and plans to send it to the United States on another ship, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Pegasus was later released, but the dam ignited tensions at a delicate time, with Iran and world powers seeking to revive a nuclear deal that Washington abandoned under former President Donald Trump.
Earlier on Friday, Nour News, which is affiliated with an Iranian state security force, said on Twitter: “Following the confiscation of an Iranian tanker truck by the Greek government and the transfer of its oil to the North Americans, #Iran has decided to take punitive action: action against #Greece “.
He did not say what kind of action Iran would take.
The Pegasus was one of five ships designated by Washington on February 22 – two days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine – for sanctions against Promsvyazbank, a bank considered critical of Russia’s defense sector.
It was unclear whether the cargo was confiscated because it was Iranian oil or because of sanctions on the tanker for its Russian links. Iran and Russia face separate US sanctions.
Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim later quoted an unnamed source as saying, “There are 17 more Greek ships in the Persian Gulf, which the Revolutionary Guards could seize if Greece continues its evil.” .
“Informed sources also stress that Greece should take compensatory measures against the Iranian oil company as soon as possible,” Tasnim said.
NUCLEAR TALKS
A maritime security source said the other tanker seized on Friday was the Greek-flagged Wise Warrior. Its operator, the Greek shipping company Polembro, told Reuters that there had been an “incident” with one of its ships, without giving further details, adding that “it was making every effort to resolve the issue”.
U.S. Defense Group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic by tracking ships and satellites, said Prudent Warrior was carrying a cargo of Qatari and Iraqi oil. , while the Poseidon Delta was laden with Iraqi oil.
Each ship carried about a million barrels, he said.
“This should have direct implications for the JCPOA (Iran nuclear) negotiations and further halt any possibility of reactivating a deal,” UANI chief of staff Claire Jungman told Reuters.
A U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman in Bahrain said he was aware of the reported seizures and was investigating them.
Also Friday, Iran summoned an envoy from Switzerland, representing U.S. interests in Tehran, to protest the confiscation of Pegasus oil, the Iranian foreign ministry said.
“The Islamic Republic has expressed deep concern over the continued violation by the U.S. government of international laws and international maritime conventions,” state media quoted the foreign ministry as saying.
A U.S. Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the oil confiscation.
IRNA quoted the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran as saying that the tanker had taken refuge on the Greek coast after experiencing technical problems and bad weather. He called the confiscation of his charge “a clear example of piracy.”
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on what it described as a smuggling and money laundering network with Russian support for the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force.
In 2019, Iran confiscated a British tanker near the Strait of Hormuz for alleged marine rape two weeks after British forces detained an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar, accusing it of sending oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Both ships were later released.
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Report by George Georgiopoulos in Athens, Jonathan Saul in London and Dubai Writing Edited by Angus MacSwan and Alistair Bell
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