Iran confiscates 2 Greek tankers, Athens protests piracy

TEHERAN – Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf on Friday (27/5/2022). Iranian state media reported shortly after Tehran warned it would take “punitive action” against Athens over the US seizure of Iranian oil from a tanker detained off the coast of Greece.

“The Revolutionary Guards’ navy today arrested two Greek tankers for violations in Gulf waters,” said a statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, quoted by Iran’s state news agency, IRNA.

The Revolutionary Guards did not provide further details or say what the alleged violations were.

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Greece’s foreign ministry said it had taken firm steps against Iran’s ambassador in Athens over the “violent takeover of two Greek-flagged ships” in the Arabian Gulf.

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“This act is tantamount to an act of piracy,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said, warning Greeks to avoid traveling to Iran.

Greece’s foreign ministry called for the immediate release of the ship and its crew, saying this action would have “particularly negative consequences” in bilateral relations and in Iran’s relations with the European Union (EU), of which Greece is a member.

The Greek Foreign Ministry statement said that earlier Friday, an Iranian helicopter landed in the Greek-flagged Poseidon Delta in international waters about 22 nautical miles off the Iranian coast.

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