Iran confirms seizure of Greek oil tankers
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized two Greek oil tankers Friday in helicopterlaunched raids in the Persian Gulf, officials said.
The action appeared to be retaliation for Athens’ assistance in the U.S. seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker this week in the Mediterranean Sea over violating Washington’s sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The raid marks the first major incident at sea in months as tensions remain high between Iran and the West over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers. As Tehran enriches more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, worries mount that negotiators won’t find a way back to the accord — raising the risk of a wider war.
The Revolutionary Guard issued a statement announcing the seizures, accusing the tankers of unspecified violations. Nour News, a website close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, just a short time earlier warned that Tehran planned to take “punitive action” over Greece assisting the U.S. in seizing oil days earlier from the Iranian-flagged tanker Lana.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry called for the immediate release of the vessels and their crews, warning the seizure would have “particularly negative consequences” in bilateral relations and in Iran’s relations with the European Union.
“These acts effectively amount to acts of piracy,” a ministry statement said.
An Iranian helicopter landed on the Greek-flagged Delta Poseidon in international waters, some 40 kilometres off the coast of Iran, the ministry said.
“Armed men then took the crew captive,” it said, adding that two Greek nationals were among the crew. “A similar incident has been reported on another Greek-flagged vessel that was carrying seven Greek citizens, close to the coast of Iran.”
A Greek official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the attack with a journalist, identified the second ship as the Prudent Warrior. Its manager, Polembros Shipping in Greece, earlier said the company was “co-operating with the authorities and making every possible effort to address the situation effectively.”
‘‘ These acts effectively amount to acts of piracy.
GREEK FOREIGN MINISTRY