Iran ship captured by Greece released, stolen oil to be reclaimed
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The Iranian Navy, after back-and-forths, was able to claim back Iranian oil.
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An Iranian-flagged tanker, 30 January 2021. (Anadolu Agency)
The Director-General of Iran's Port and Maritime Organization (PMO), Ali-Akbar Safaei, has revealed that the Iranian ship which was captured by Greek authorities has been released as Iran heads to reclaim the stolen oil resources.
Safaei referred to the abilities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy and the army to solve this issue, adding that "the country's naval military forces provide security for all local and foreign ships."
On Sunday, the Greek port police announced that the tanker carrying Iranian oil, which was seized in mid-April from Greek authorities at the demand of the United States, will be resuming its navigation.
The US ordered seizing the oil on an Iranian-flagged tanker near Greece, with the cargo set to be sent to the US through another ship, three informed sources indicated. The move was considered by Tehran as one of maritime piracy.
Originally, the ship is Russian-flagged - named Pegas - but has changed its flag to an Iranian one to avoid EU and US sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
According to Reuters, it remains unclear whether the oil was seized for carrying Iranian oil or due to anti-Russian sanctions, but one fact cannot go unnoticed: the US is willing to do anything to quench its thirst for oil.
The Pegas oil tanker, with 19 Russian crew members on board, was detected by Greek authorities on April 8 and seized under anti-Russian EU sanctions.
This wouldn't be the first time the US seizes Iranian fuel. In 2020, Washington seized "four cargoes of Iranian fuel aboard foreign ships that were bound for Venezuela and transferred them with the help of undisclosed foreign partners onto two other ships which then sailed to the United States," Reuters highlighted.
