Greece accuses Iran of seizing two oil tankers in international waters
Iranian forces have seized two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, Iranian state media reported after Tehran said it would take "punitive measures" against Athens in response to the US seizing Iranian oil from an oil tanker that had been held off the Greek coast.
According to a statement issued by the Revolutionary Guards, the 'Revolutionary Guards Navy' reportedly seized 'two Greek oil tankers for violations in Gulf waters', although no further details were given as to what these alleged violations were.
For its part, the Greek Foreign Ministry reported that there had been a "violent seizure of two Greek-flagged ships" in the Arabian Gulf, an action that has already been labelled as an "act of piracy". In the same statement, the ministry has advised Greek citizens to restrict any travel to Iran.
The Ministry has called on the Iranian authorities to immediately release the two oil tankers and their crews, and warns that these acts will have "particularly negative consequences" for diplomatic relations between Iran and Greece, in addition to those with the European Union.
According to the statement, an Iranian helicopter reportedly landed on the Delta Poseidon, which was at the time sailing in international waters, some 22 nautical miles from Iran. They added that "armed men took the crew captive" and added that two Greek nationals were reportedly among the crew.
They stated that one of the vessels was the Delta Poseidon, while a spokesman for the Athens-based company Polembros reported that the second tanker was identified as the Prudent Warrior, which belongs to their firm and that they are now "cooperating with the authorities and making every effort to deal with the situation effectively".
They also state that seven other Greek nationals were reportedly on board the Prudent Warrior, bringing the number of European nationals detained to nine, without providing further details on the nationality of the remaining crew members.
This was not the only seizure to be staged in relation to the oil tanker issue. Last month, in April, the Greek authorities seized the Iranian-flagged vessel Pegas, but it was soon released again. It remains unclear whether the tanker was seized because it was carrying Iranian oil, at a time when it was under US sanctions, or because of its close ties to Russia.
Following this development, Iran was quick to respond. According to Iranian state media, "the Islamic Republic expressed its deep concern over the continued violation of international laws and international maritime conventions by the US government".
Alongside this, in 2019, Iran seized a British oil tanker located near the Strait of Hormuz for alleged "maritime violations", just two weeks after the UK detained another Iranian tanker near the Strait of Gibraltar accusing it of shipping oil to Syria, in violation of sanctions reportedly imposed on it from the European Union.
The seizure by Iran has also coincided with a new package of US sanctions against Iran after the US accused the Revolutionary Guard Quds Forces of participating in a Russian-backed oil smuggling and money laundering network.
Moreover, this situation further aggravates the current crisis between Iran and the US. It is not new that diplomatic relations between the two countries have always been contentious and difficult, but now, after the assassination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard colonel by Israel, Iran has accused both Israeli intelligence and the US of complicity in the crime, which they see as a "show of arrogance" on a global level.
Tehran has also called on Washington to stop considering the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation, which the US has refused to do, complicating the US's return to the Nuclear Pact. Meanwhile, Iran continues to press ahead with its nuclear programme, a situation that many analysts fear as they see the possibility of Iran becoming a nuclear power in the region drawing ever closer.
