Iran seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday in retaliation for the United States’ “hijacking” of a large shipment of Iranian oil from the same vessel last year, amid heightened regional tensions, AFP reported.

“The Iranian government must immediately release the vessel and its crew,” US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters, condemning the “illegal” seizure that “disrupts international trade.”

The UK Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO) and private company Ambrey previously announced that armed men “in military uniform” had boarded the Greek-owned Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker St Nikolas.

The UKMTO said that “four or five unauthorized persons” boarded the vessel, which sailed from the northern city of Sohar.

Iranian authorities later confirmed the seizure of the vessel, formerly known as the Suez Rajan.

“The naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have seized an American oil tanker in the waters of the Arabian Sea by court order,” the official news agency Irna reported.

The action was taken “following the violation committed by Suez Rajan in May 2023 and the theft of Iranian oil by the United States,” it added, citing a statement from the Iranian Navy.

Last year, the United States seized 980,000 barrels of crude oil from the Suez Rajan and prosecuted the vessel for carrying Iranian oil under sanctions.

The owner of the oil tanker pleaded guilty and was fined $2.5 million.

Then the US authorities announced that they had begun the process of officially taking possession of the cargo, the value of which is estimated at tens of millions of dollars.

photo: DreamsTime / Luciano De La Rosa