Iran’s navy seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, in new threat to Mideast shipping
- The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea
- Vessel once known as the Suez Rajan was involved in a year-long dispute that ultimately saw the US Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude
Iran’s navy seized an oil tanker on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman that once was at the centre of a major crisis between Tehran and Washington, officials said, a seizure that further escalates tensions in the Mideast waterways.
The vessel was once known as the Suez Rajan and was involved in a year-long dispute that ultimately saw the US Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on it.
The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, including their largest barrage ever of drones and missiles launched late on Tuesday.
That has raised the risk of possible retaliatory strikes by US-led forces now patrolling the vital waterway, especially after a United Nations Security Council vote on Wednesday condemning the Houthis and as American and British officials warned of potential consequences over the attacks.
The violating oil tanker Suez Rajan … stole Iranian oil by leading it to the Americans and delivered it to the Americans
Iran’s state-run television acknowledged the seizure late on Thursday afternoon, hours after armed men boarded it.