Iran seizes oil tanker off Oman as Middle East tensions rise

Seizure comes as the Iran-backed Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea

Tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman (AFP via Getty Images)

Iran has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, the latest incident in weeks of rising tensions across the Middle East.

Armed assailants, dressed in black military-style uniforms with black masks and carrying, covered the surveillance cameras as they boarded, according to the the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East. boarded the St Nikolas oil tanker 50 miles off the coast of Oman in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, said Iranian naval forces captured the vessel, acting on court orders. The St Nikolas was in transit between the Iraqi port of Basra and its intended destination in Turkey and is said to have been carrying 140,000 tons of Iraqi crude oil. Quoting the navy, the state media agency said the seizure was in retaliation for the ship and oil it had aboard being confiscated by the US last year.

The tanker was called America by Iranian state media, but it is managed by Athens-based Empire Navigation. In a statement, Empire Navigation acknowledged losing contact with the vessel, which has a crew of 18 Filipinos and one Greek national.

"Empire have no such knowledge of a court order or the Iranian navy having seized their vessel, and have still not been contacted by anyone," the company said.

The UKMTO said they were alerted to the seizure after they received reports from the ship’s security manager in which they said they heard “unknown voices over the phone” alongside the ship’s captain.

The St Nikolas was seized last year by the US under the vessel’s previous name, the Suez Rajan, as part of sanctions enforcement against Iran. Following the move, Iran warned the US that it would "not go unanswered". Empire Navigation said in October it had settled the dispute with the US Department of Justice.

The United States condemned Iran's seizure of the tanker and called for the immediate release of the ship and its crew.

The US will continue to consult with regional partners about appropriate steps to hold Iran accountable, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Pate said.

The seizure comes a day after the UK pledged to fight back against attacks by the Iran-backed, Yemen-based Houthis in the nearby Red Sea after they fired 21 missiles and drones at a US-led naval coalition off the coast of Yemen.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea for weeks. It claims they are linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports in retaliation for Israel’s war on Hamas – another Iran backed group – inside Gaza, but a number of differnt vessels have been targeted.