State Department threatens Iran with response to tanker seizure
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US authorities are consulting with partners on whether to hold Iran accountable for the seizure of the oil tanker St Nicholas and its crew in the Gulf of Oman. This statement was made on Thursday, January 11, by Deputy Chief of the State Department Press Service Vedant Patel.
The official said the Iranian government should immediately release the ship and its crew as the seizure was illegal. He also pointed out that such actions by Iran are “aimed at disrupting international trade.”
The Greek organization Empire Navigation, which is called the owner of the St Nikolas tanker, said that in the early morning of January 11, people in military uniforms boarded the ship and captured him. The Greek Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy clarified that the crew consists of a Greek captain and 18 Filipino sailors.
Relations between the United States and Iran were already very tense before this incident. Washington has repeatedly accused Tehran of providing military support to Russia in its special military operation in Ukraine. US officials also fear that Iran could oppose Israel in its operation in the Gaza Strip.
Under these conditions, preparations were made for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East, which took place from January 4 to 11. Politician warns that Israel’s war against Hamas risks spreading throughout the region.
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