Iranian Navy Seizes Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman

The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran confirmed it had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, in what appeared to be a retaliation for the seizure last year of the same vessel by the United States.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency ran a brief story acknowledging the seizure, saying the move came as a result of a judicial order.

The report did not identify the vessel.

Earlier in the day, an advisory group run by the UK military and a private security firm warned that an oil tanker named St. Nikolas was boarded in the waters between Oman and Iran by “unauthorized” men in military uniforms.

The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, once known as the Suez Rajan, was at the center of a yearlong dispute between Tehran and Washington that ultimately saw the US Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil it was carrying.

In September, the Greek shipping company Empire Navigation pleaded guilty to smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine over a case involving the tanker.

The seizure by the Iranian navy comes as weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on international shipping in the Red Sea raised the risk of possible retaliatory strikes by the United States and its allies.

On January 10, the UN Security Council condemned the Houthis, and US and British officials warned of potential consequences over the attacks.

The UK military-run United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that the men who boarded the St. Nikolas wore “black military-style uniforms with black masks.”

According to the security firm Ambrey, “four to five armed persons” boarded the tanker and covered the surveillance cameras.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Empire Navigation acknowledged losing contact with the vessel, which has a crew of 18 Filipinos and one Greek national. 

The tanker had been off the Iraqi city of Basra, loading crude oil bound for Aliaga in Turkey. 

Satellite-tracking data last showed the vessel had turned and headed toward the Iranian port of Bandar-e Jask, according to the AP.