Taking of vessel relates to dispute over sanctioned oil but will worsen tensions over marine navigation in Middle East
The Iranian navy has seized a US-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as part of a long-running dispute with the US over an American court order a year ago that seized Iranian oil on the tanker and unloaded the cargo in Texas.
Official Iranian news agencies said on Wednesday that the tanker had been taken on the authority of an Iranian court order, but the news will add to the growing tensions about freedom of navigation in the region as a result of repeated Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis say their attacks are designed to disrupt the Israeli economy and the naval forces protecting Israel, primarily the US’s, as a result of the war in Gaza.
A punitive joint US-UK attack on Houthi military installations in Yemen, including the port of Hodeidah, seems imminent after Houthi leaders vowed on Thursday to defy a UN security resolution passed the previous day demanding an end to the attacks on commercial shipping.
Although the Houthis are given arms and training by Iran, the seizure of the tanker St Nikolas off the coast of Oman by six masked soldiers on Thursday morning is not directly related to the Houthi attacks.
The vessel, which was carrying Iraqi oil bound for Turkey, changed course after the boarding and headed in the direction of Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.
