A swarm of Iranian fast-craft vessels surrounded the Niovi, a Panama-flagged oil tanker crossing the Strait of Hormuz, at daybreak on Wednesday (Could 3), steering it in direction of Iranian waters. It was the second ship Iran has seized previously week, and the most recent escalation in tensions between the US and Iran.
Iran’s actions are seemingly in retaliation to the US Division of Justice seizing the Suez Rajan, a tanker certain for China with a cargo of Iranian crude, because the US seeks to toughen enforcement of its oil sanctions towards Iran. The Iranian Navy reportedly gave chase, in keeping with US authorities, however didn’t recapture the tanker.
Following the Suez Rajan incident, final Thursday (April 27), Iran seized the Benefit Candy, a US-bound tanker chartered by Chevron. The vessel is at the moment being held within the port of Bandar Abbas on Iran’s south coast.
Heightened tensions within the Gulf
There have been a collection of assaults on transport within the Gulf waters at instances of geopolitical stress, starting in 2019, when Iran seized two British-flagged tankers after the UK impounded an Iranian vessel certain for Syria. In 2022, Iran captured two Greek-flagged vessels within the Strait of Hormuz after Greece allowed the US to empty the cargo of an Iranian tanker in Greek waters. The Suez Rajan is just one of a handful of instances the US is understood to have seized an Iranian oil cargo.
The Suez Rajan is at the moment underway, and as of Wednesday was off the coast of East Africa, in keeping with information from MarineTraffic. Whereas no vacation spot is listed, it’s believed to be headed to US shores.
“Heightened army exercise and geopolitical tensions in these areas proceed to pose critical threats to business vessels,” an advisory issued on Tuesday by the Marshall Islands flag registry mentioned. “Related to these threats is the potential for miscalculation or misidentification, which may result in aggressive actions.”