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Iranian military seizes oil tanker in the strait of Hormuz
In the midst of increased tensions surrounding its nuclear program, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has seized an oil tanker, the Niovi, with a Panamanian flag in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passageway for one-fifth of the world’s crude oil. This marks the second instance in less than a week in which Tehran has captured a vessel.
The seizure of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Niovi by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz has raised concerns about Iran’s potential threat to maritime traffic in the region. This incident occurred at the same time as a crude oil tanker, believed to be carrying Iranian crude oil, disappeared in Southeast Asia, with reports suggesting that it may have been seized by the US. The US Navy released photographs of a dozen Guard vessels surrounding the Niovi, which they claimed was forced to reverse course and head towards Iranian territorial waters near Bandar Abbas.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Iran seized a second oil tanker in a week. The Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet of the US Navy said the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy while passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz <a href="https://t.co/eV04heu2VL">https://t.co/eV04heu2VL</a> <a href="https://t.co/yCB3UbNkpV">pic.twitter.com/yCB3UbNkpV</a></p>— Reuters (@Reuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1653913579718844419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The US Navy condemned Iran's actions and called them a violation of international law and a threat to regional security and stability. They further added that Iran's continued interference with navigation rights in the region is unwarranted and irresponsible, posing a present threat to both maritime security and the global economy.
The Niovi oil tanker is managed by Smart Tankers of Piraeus, Greece. However, the company has refused to comment on the recent seizure of the vessel by Iran. In another incident last week, Iran seized an oil tanker carrying Chevron Corp.'s crude, which has added to the existing tensions between Tehran and the US regarding the nuclear program.
Iran has accused the Advantage Sweet tanker of colliding with another ship but has not provided any evidence to support the claim. Such unfounded allegations have been made by Iran in the past during the seizure of foreign-flagged ships amidst tensions with Western nations.
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The seizure of these two tankers in less than a week coincides with the disappearance of the Suez Rajan, a Marshall Island-flagged vessel that was reportedly smuggling Iranian crude oil in violation of sanctions. The Financial Times and the maritime intelligence firm Ambrey have claimed that the Suez Rajan was seized on the orders of American authorities. However, the ship's manager has not responded to inquiries about the ship's status, and US officials have also not commented on the matter.
The recent capture of two ships by Iran is just one of many incidents of ship seizures and explosions that have caused unrest in the region. These incidents began after the US withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, and a shadow war between Iran and the West has since been waged in the region's unstable waters. Iran has been involved in the seizure of tankers since 2019, and the last significant seizure before the recent ones occurred in May 2022 when two Greek tankers were captured and held until November.
