Iran Releases Cargo of Greek Tanker 'Saint Nicholas'

Iran has released the oil cargo of a Greek tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag, which was seized in January 2024 off the coast of Oman. This news was reported by a maritime source to Reuters on Thursday, July 25. The source added that the oil cargo was freed following negotiations earlier this week, but the 'MT Saint Nicholas' remains under Iranian control. Reuters reports that the Iranian ministers of oil and foreign affairs have not yet responded to the agency's inquiries regarding this matter. The 'Saint Nicholas' tanker was seized on January 21, 2024, while transporting Iraqi oil from Basra to the Tupras refinery in Turkey, approximately 50 miles off the coast of Sohar, Oman, by armed individuals in 'military uniforms and black masks.' This tanker, previously known as 'Suez Rajan,' is the same vessel that the U.S. seized in April 2023, unloading and selling its Iranian oil cargo in Texas during the summer. Following the U.S. seizure of this ship, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened retaliation. The Iranian army accepted responsibility for the attack on the foreign tanker in the Sea of Oman and its 'seizure.' At the time of the seizure of the 'Saint Nicholas' in January 2024, the Iranian army announced that the ship was seized 'by judicial order' and 'with the approval of the Ports and Maritime Organization' and was en route to one of Iran's ports for delivery to judicial authorities. The Iranian army stated that the reason for this action was the 'theft of an Iranian oil cargo' by the U.S. Iran announced the release of a Greek crew member of the seized tanker in January and stated in March 2024 that the process of releasing the crew members had begun. Iranian state media had previously reported that Iran seized the 'Saint Nicholas' tanker in response to the seizure of the same ship and its oil by the U.S. last year. The Iranian ministries of foreign affairs and oil have not yet commented on this matter. The Iranian navy also seized the 'Advantage Sweet' tanker on May 7, 2024, claiming it had collided with an Iranian vessel. This tanker, rented by the American company Chevron, was operating under the Marshall Islands flag in the Sea of Oman when it was seized by Iran. In March of that year, a lawsuit was filed in the Tehran International Court of Justice, claiming that Western sanctions, particularly by the U.S., had prevented the sale of necessary medicines for butterfly disease patients, causing severe physical and psychological harm to patients and their families. This court ultimately issued an order to seize the American oil cargo of the 'Advantage Sweet' in the Persian Gulf. In July 2024, an Iranian court ordered the U.S. government and officials to pay $6.8 billion for damages caused to 'a group of survivors and also butterfly disease patients.' Hours later, ship tracking data showed that the 'Advantage Sweet,' after being held by the Islamic Republic of Iran for over a year, was moving towards international waters.