Islamic Republic Claims Seizure of 'American Oil Tanker'; Ship Operator: It Was Carrying Oil from Iraq to Turkey

On Thursday, January 21, Iranian state-affiliated news agencies reported the seizure of an 'American oil tanker' by the Navy of the Army. Iranian media published a photo of armed individuals landing on the deck of a ship from a helicopter, claiming that this action by the Islamic Republic was in retaliation for the 'theft' of Iranian oil by the U.S. and was carried out with a 'judicial order.' The U.S. Fifth Fleet has not yet responded to the report. The tanker 'Saint Nicholas,' flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, previously operated under the name 'Suez Rajan' and was seized in Greece earlier this year during U.S. sanctions enforcement against the Islamic Republic. The U.S. announced at that time that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to send smuggled Iranian oil to China in violation of U.S. sanctions. At the time of its seizure and final confiscation by the U.S. in May, 'Suez Rajan' was carrying 980,000 barrels of Iranian crude oil. The tanker was unable to unload Iranian crude oil for two and a half months due to fears of U.S. secondary sanctions and was renamed 'Saint Nicholas' after unloading its cargo. Reuters reported on Thursday, citing the British maritime security company 'Ambrey,' that the automatic identification system of this tanker was turned off and it had changed course towards the port of Jask in Hormozgan province. The operator of 'Saint Nicholas,' identified as 'Empire Navigation,' told Reuters that the tanker was carrying 145 tons of oil at the time of its seizure, which had been loaded at the port of Basra, Iraq, and was headed to Aliaga in western Turkey. The tanker had 18 Filipino crew members and one Greek crew member and was chartered by the Turkish refinery 'Tupras.' Officials from the 'UK Maritime Trade Operations' also reported receiving a report that 'four to five armed individuals' in 'military black uniforms and black masks' boarded a tanker 50 nautical miles off the coast of Sohar, Oman. According to them, this ship changed course towards Iranian coastal waters and communication with it was lost. This latest adventure of the Islamic Republic in the region's waters comes at a time when, since the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, Iranian-backed Houthis have conducted at least 26 attacks on commercial shipping lines in the Red Sea, leading to unprecedented maritime tensions in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Wednesday that the ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis on commercial shipping lines in the Red Sea would have 'consequences.' Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday called on Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen to immediately cease attacks on ships in the Red Sea and supported the U.S.-led task force to defend the vessels. Security Council members approved the U.S. resolution with 11 votes in favor, four abstentions, and no votes against. The seized tanker 'Suez Rajan' was renamed and headed to the Bahamas. The unloading of the 'seized Iranian oil cargo' in Texas began despite threats from the IRGC. Iran summoned the Swiss chargé d'affaires over the seizure of the sanctioned oil cargo. U.S. lawmakers called for a resolution to the issue of unloading the seized Iranian tanker cargo. The IRGC threatened that if the Iranian tanker was unloaded, it would retaliate. The IRGC warned oil companies about unloading the confiscated oil cargo. The U.S. Navy stated that Iran seized a suspicious ship suspected of smuggling. The Financial Times reported that the U.S. is likely to begin unloading the seized Iranian tanker. Details emerged of 'harassment' by Iranian speedboats against a commercial ship and the reactions of the U.S. and British military. Houthi missile attacks targeted a ship in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. An attack occurred on a Norwegian-flagged tanker near Yemen as part of the expansion of Houthi rebel attacks. The United States warned commercial ships in the Indian Ocean.