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Tehran, Iran
Iranian state media reported on Thursday (Jan 11) that the country's navy had seized an oil tanker in Gulf of Oman waters following "a court order" authorising the move, which is likely to flare up regional tensions.
The official IRNA news agency said: "The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran seized an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman in accordance with a court order."
A report by the news agency Reuters noted that the tanker with Iraqi crude was destined for Turkey, and has been seized in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the United States.
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This comes just a few weeks after the attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias targeting Red Sea shipping routes.
Citing a statement by the Navy, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, "After the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year, St Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran's Navy this morning with a judicial order ... it is en route to Iranian ports."
Last year, St Nikolas was seized by the US in a sanctions enforcement operation. It had happened when the tanker was sailing under a different name, Suez Rajan. Iran had condemned the move, warning the US that it would "not go unanswered".
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The British maritime security firm Ambrey had said earlier that St Nikolas was boarded by armed intruders as it sailed close to the Omani city of Sohar.
Its AIS tracking system was turned off as it headed in the direction of the Iranian port of Bandar-e-Jask.
As per the British firm, the incident started at about 03:30 GMT when "four or five" men boarded the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas, around 50 nautical miles east of Sohar in Oman. The tanker was apparently headed towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.
(With inputs from agencies)