Iran's navy seizes US oil tanker in Sea of Oman

TEHRAN -- Iran's navy reported Thursday the seizure of an American oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, citing retaliation for the US "stealing" of Iran's oil in April 2023, according to a statement published on the Iranian army's public relations website.

The statement said the navy took control of the "St Nikolas" tanker on Thursday following a judicial order and confirmation from Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization.

The vessel, previously named "Suez Rajan," had "stolen" an Iranian oil cargo under US guidance last year, the statement said, adding that the Iranian oil was then transferred to US ports and handed over to the United States.

The "St Nikolas" tanker was carrying oil in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning when it was seized by Iran's navy as a response to the alleged US actions, the statement added.

The seized oil tanker is being transferred to Iranian ports for subsequent handover to judicial authorities, the navy said.

Media reports, citing Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said the oil tanker was identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged "St Nikolas" and was "boarded by armed intruders as it sailed close to the Omani port city of Sohar," noting that its automatic identification system was turned off when "heading toward the Iranian port of Bandar-e-Jask."

In a post on the social media platform X, TankerTrackers, a platform that tracks the crude oil trade, said, "The tanker which the Iranians have boarded today in the Gulf of Oman is the St Nikolas (9524475), carrying Iraqi oil."

It confirmed that the ship, formerly known as "Suez Rajan," once "was seized by the US government for having transported a million barrels of Iranian oil in connection to a US company."

Ambrey also confirmed that the tanker was previously prosecuted and fined for carrying "sanctioned Iranian oil" in a US sanction operation.

The US Justice Department admitted last September that it seized a tanker loaded with Iranian oil in April 2023, identifying it as "Suez Rajan," a Greek-managed tanker that carried 980,000 barrels of crude oil.