Iranian military seizes two Greek Oil tankers in Persian Gulf

Helicopters boarded two ships days after US ordered the confiscation of cargo near Greece.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards speedboats at the port of Bandar Abbas. Picture: AFP

Iranian military forces have seized two Greek-flagged oil tankers in Persian Gulf waters following the confiscation of an Iranian oil cargo in Greek waters last week.

The incidents add to mounting tensions in the Middle East amid stalled negotiations on Iran’s nuclear talks and the killing of a key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer in Tehran last Sunday. The Greek Foreign Ministry said an Iranian navy helicopter boarded the Greek-flagged ship Delta Poseidon on Friday as it sailed in international waters and captured crew including two Greek citizens. The ship is owned by Delta Tankers of Greece.

The ministry said a similar incident was reported on another Greek-flagged ship, with seven Greek nationals on board, off the Iranian coast. Shipping officials identified the second vessel as the Prudent Warrior, owned by Polembros Shipping of Greece.

Greece called the detentions acts of piracy and warned “these actions will have a particularly negative impact on bilateral relations, as well as on EU-Iran relations”.

A spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which oversees the navy in the Persian Gulf, said the vessels had been impounded due to maritime violations. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday in a tweet that the crews were “safe and in good health”. He described ties between the two countries as having “always been based on mutual respect”, adding that they “must not be hampered by deeply shortsighted miscalculations, including highway robbery on the command of a third party”.

Iran’s ports authority denied that the crews were arrested.

The two seizures were similar with armed Iranian commandos boarding the tankers and gunships escorting the vessels to Iranian waters, said people familiar with the matter.

A Polembros Shipping official said all communications with the Prudent Warrior were lost and the tanker was anchored near the Iranian coastline. Delta Tankers confirmed the Delta Poseidon said it was working with “relevant parties to urgently resolve this matter”.

The incident comes after the US ordered the transfer of Iranian oil cargo seized on-board a Russian tanker in Greek waters last Monday.

In response, Iran protested to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, who represents US interests, as well as his Greek counterpart.

Iran has previously arrested vessels amid disputes with foreign nations. In 2019, Iranian forces held a British vessel for more than two months after the UK impounded an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar. Last year, Tehran detained a vessel from South Korea, from whom it was trying to access $US7bn in frozen funds.

The Wall Street Journal