Iran Seizes Greek Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman

A unit from the Iranian army during a military landing operation on a tanker in April. (Tasnim)
A unit from the Iranian army during a military landing operation on a tanker in April. (Tasnim)
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Iran Seizes Greek Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman

A unit from the Iranian army during a military landing operation on a tanker in April. (Tasnim)
A unit from the Iranian army during a military landing operation on a tanker in April. (Tasnim)

Iran's navy seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and forced it to change course.

"The Navy of the Republic of Iran seized an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman in accordance with a court order," the official IRNA news agency said.

The seizure was in retaliation for "violation committed by the Suez Rajan ship... and the theft of Iranian oil by the United States", IRNA said.

"The Iranian government must immediately release the ship and its crew," according to the US State Department of State.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East, announced receiving a report from the ship’s security manager of hearing “unknown voices over the phone” alongside the ship’s captain.

It said that further efforts to contact the ship had failed and that the men who boarded the vessel wore “black military-style uniforms with black masks.”

British maritime security firm Ambrey said "four to five armed persons" had boarded the ship, which it identified as the St. Nikolas.

The St. Nikolas was earlier named the Suez Rajan.

The Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas was boarded at about 7:30 a.m. 50 nautical miles east of Sohar in Oman and then headed towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran, according to the British firm.

"The individuals covered the vessel's cameras," Ambrey reported, adding that a security officer "reported hearing unknown voices over the phone along with the master's voice."

Ambrey added that the recently renamed tanker was previously prosecuted and fined for carrying sanctioned Iranian oil, which was confiscated by US authorities.

The St Nikolas was sailing from the Iraqi port of Basra to Türkiye, according to Marine Traffic, a tracking website.

The vessel was carrying 19 crew members- 18 Filipinos and one Greek.

Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corporation (TUPRAS) confirmed Thursday that the tanker seized in the Sea of Oman was carrying oil to Türkiye.

TUPRAS stated that the ship is "carrying approximately 140,000 tons of crude oil which we purchased from the Iraqi state oil company SOMO and is on its way from Basra Port to be delivered to our refinery."

Attention began focusing on the Suez Rajan in February 2022, when the group United Against Nuclear Iran said it suspected the tanker carried oil from Iran's Khargh Island, its main oil distribution terminal in the Arabian Gulf. Satellite photos and shipping data analyzed at the time by the AP supported the allegation.

For months, the ship sat in the South China Sea off the northeast coast of Singapore before suddenly sailing for the Texas coast without explanation. The vessel discharged its cargo to another tanker in August, which released its oil in Houston as part of a Justice Department order.

In September, Empire Navigation pleaded guilty to smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine over a case involving the tanker.

After the Suez Rajan headed for America, Iran seized two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, including one with cargo for major US oil company Chevron Corp.

In July, the Guards' navy commander Alireza Tangsiri warned that Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker.

The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis on shipping in the Red Sea, including their largest barrage ever of drones and missiles launched late Tuesday.

That has raised the risk of possible retaliatory strikes by US-led forces now patrolling the vital waterway, especially after a United Nations Security Council vote on Wednesday condemning the Houthis. American and British officials have warned of the potential consequences of the attacks.



Axios: US, Israeli Officials Believe Highly Enriched Uranium is Sealed Off Inside Iran’s Damaged Facilities

This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
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Axios: US, Israeli Officials Believe Highly Enriched Uranium is Sealed Off Inside Iran’s Damaged Facilities

This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)
This handout satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows cargo trucks postioned near an underground entrance to Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Fordo, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Satellite image 2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP)

Highly enriched uranium is currently “sealed off” inside damaged facilities in Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Israeli and US officials say, according to the America news website, Axios.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview that aired Monday with US journalist Tucker Carlson that the nuclear facilities were seriously damaged, but Iran doesn't currently have access to them to accurately assess the situation.

US and Israeli officials say both countries' intelligence services are monitoring Iranian actions around its nuclear facilities to detect efforts to remove material or restore operations, according to Axios.

Netanyahu's top adviser, Ron Dermer, told officials in closed briefings that he came away from a recent visit to Washington with the impression that the Trump administration would back new Israeli strikes on Iran under certain circumstances, two sources with knowledge told the website.

One scenario would be an Iranian attempt to remove the highly enriched uranium inside the damaged facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, according to the sources.

Another would be if the Iranians start rebuilding their nuclear program, particularly enrichment facilities.

Dermer met last week with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli officials said.

Witkoff is planning to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oslo in the coming days to restart nuclear talks.

According to Axios, the Iranians confirmed such a meeting is in the works but so far no final date has been set.

Dermer told Israeli officials the US remains committed to the principle of zero enrichment on Iranian soil in the nuclear talks, the website wrote.