The Navy of the Iranian regime army announced that it had seized the oil tanker St. Nicholas in the Gulf of Oman.
On January 11, the Navy’s public relations department stated that the seizure of this vessel was carried out “in retaliation for the theft of an Iranian oil shipment” by the United States.
According to the Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, the Navy’s public relations department stated that the new name of this oil tanker is Suez Rajan. The mentioned oil tanker was seized in May 2023 pursuant of Washington’s sanctions against the regime.
The Navy stated that it had seized the St. Nicholas in retaliation for the theft of Iranian oil by the United States and that it would transfer it to Iranian ports “for delivery to judicial authorities.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had previously reported in a tweet that this vessel was targeted by “four to five armed men” wearing military uniforms and black masks, while it was approximately 50 nautical miles (about 92 kilometers) east of the coast of Oman, near the Sohar Port.
The Greek shipping company Empire Navigation confirmed this news. It is reported that the crew of this oil tanker, which was sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, consists of 19 sailors from the Philippines and one Greek national.
This vessel had loaded cargo in the port of Basra and was heading towards the Suez Canal and then to the port city of Aliaga in Turkey.
The company Empire Navigation stated that all contact with St. Nicholas has been lost. The ship’s safety officer reported hearing unidentified voices on the ship, and after that, further attempts to contact the ship were unsuccessful.
Ambrey, a British maritime security company, has announced that the tracking system of the oil tanker was turned off when it was heading towards the Iranian port of Jask. According to Ambrey, six men wearing military uniforms boarded the ship.
According to reports, this mentioned oil tanker was involved in oil smuggling for Iran last year. Due to the violation of US sanctions against Iran, the US Navy seized this oil tanker, and then it was renamed Suez Rajan.
At that time, the United States accused the Revolutionary Guards of intending to smuggle oil to China using this oil tanker and seized 980,000 barrels of oil. After the crude oil was unloaded, the ship was renamed St. Nicholas.
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Iranian-supported Houthi rebels have carried out at least 26 attacks on commercial shipping lines in the Red Sea, leading to unprecedented maritime tensions in the region.
On Wednesday January 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels backed by the Iranian regime on commercial shipping lines in the Red Sea will have “consequences.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council demanded that the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by the Iranian regime, immediately cease attacks on ships in the Red Sea and defended the United States-led coalition’s response to protect the ships.
Attacks by Iran-backed militias on maritime targets in the Red Sea have disrupted shipping in the region, causing a major threat to global trade.
