Iran Tanker with links to US seized in reprisal

The Iranian navy has seized a USlinked oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as part of a long-running dispute with the US over an American court order a year ago that seized Iranian oil on the tanker and unloaded the cargo in Texas.

- Patrick Wintour

Official Iranian news agencies said on Wednesday that the tanker had been seized on the authority of an Iranian court order. The news will add to the growing tensions about freedom of navigation in the region as a result of repeated attacks by Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthis say their attacks are designed to disrupt the Israeli economy and the naval forces protecting Israel, primarily the US's, as a result of the war in Gaza.

A punitive joint US-UK attack on Houthi military installations in Yemen, including the port of Hodeidah, was yesterday imminent after Houthi leaders vowed yesterday to defy a UN security resolution demanding an end to the attacks on commercial shipping.

Although the Houthis are given arms and training by Iran, the seizure of the tanker St Nikolas off the coast of Oman by six masked soldiers yesterday morning is not directly related to the Houthi attacks. The vessel, which was carrying Iraqi oil bound for Turkey, changed course after the boarding and headed in the direction of Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.