Iran announced the capture of the US oil tanker

Iran's Tasnim news agency announced on January 11 that the country had seized a US crude oil tanker in waters near Oman under an Iranian judicial order.

Iran tuyên bố bắt tàu dầu Mỹ- Ảnh 1. — Oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman

Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said illegal gunmen dressed in military uniforms boarded the oil tanker St Nikolas in the Gulf of Oman on the morning of January 11. The Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged ship changed course to Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.

UKMTO said four of the five gunmen who boarded the ship were wearing black military fatigues with black masks. British maritime risk assessment firm Ambrey said the gunmen had covered the ship's security cameras. A security officer said he heard strange voices on the phone, along with the voice of the ship's commander.

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The ship has a crew of 19, including 18 Filipinos and one Greek, said the ship's managing company, Empire Navigation.

The ship was carrying 145,000 tonnes of crude oil in Basra (Iraq) and was en route to Aliaga in Türkiye via the Suez Canal.

Ambrey said the ship, which had recently been renamed, had previously been fined for carrying sanctioned Iranian oil and was seized by US authorities in 2023. "Iran has a history of taking action against those it accuses of collaborating with the US," Ambrey said.

The incident occurred amid tense maritime conditions in the region following a series of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.

Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters on January 11 that the Red Sea attacks would not affect the peace process between the group and Saudi Arabia. He accused Israel of dragging the region into a wider war. The Houthis are pressuring Israel and the United States to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Abdulsalam said.

Also on January 11, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, commander of French forces in the region, said the French navy was escorting French ships through the Red Sea, according to Reuters. Mr. Slaars said that France was working closely with the US-led coalition but that command of French forces remained under Paris' control. The rear admiral noted that French forces were not tasked with directly attacking the Houthis.

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