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.



Trump Speaks with Xi amid Stalled Talks between the US, China over Tariffs

President Donald Trump, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
President Donald Trump, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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Trump Speaks with Xi amid Stalled Talks between the US, China over Tariffs

President Donald Trump, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
President Donald Trump, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday at a time when stalled tariff negotiations between their two countries have roiled global trade.

The conversation was confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry, which said Trump initiated the call, The AP news reported.

Trump had declared one day earlier that it was difficult to reach a deal with Xi.

“I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!" Trump posted Wednesday on his social media site.

Trade negotiations between the United States and China stalled shortly after a May 12 agreement between the two countries to reduce their tariff rates while talks played out. Behind the gridlock has been the continued competition for an economic edge.

The US accuses China of not exporting critical minerals, and the Chinese government objects to America restricting its sale of advanced chips and its access to student visas for college and graduate students.

Trump has lowered his 145% tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days to allow for talks. China also reduced its taxes on US goods from 125% to 10%. The back and forth has caused sharp swings in global markets and threatens to hamper trade between the two countries.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had suggested that only a conversation between Trump and Xi could resolve these differences so that talks could restart in earnest. The underlying tension between the two countries may still persist, though.

Even if negotiations resume, Trump wants to lessen America’s reliance on Chinese factories and reindustrialize the US, whereas China wants the ability to continue its push into technologies such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence that could be crucial to securing its economic future.

The United States ran a trade imbalance of $295 billion with China in 2024, according to the Census Bureau. While the Chinese government’s focus on manufacturing has turned it into a major economic and geopolitical power, China has been muddling through a slowing economy after a real estate crisis and coronavirus pandemic lockdowns weakened consumer spending.

Trump and Xi had last spoken in January, three days before Inauguration Day. The pair discussed trade then, as well as Trump’s demands that China do more to prevent the synthetic opioid fentanyl from entering the United States.

Trump had long expressed optimism about the prospects for a major deal, before his post suggesting Xi was making that difficult. Last week, Trump went further, posting, “The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”