Two oil tankers seized by Iran have been spotted off one of the country’s main port cities on the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Satellite images show the oil tankers Advantage Sweet and Niovi anchored near a naval base south of the town of Bandar Abbas in Iranis the province of Hormozgan.
It is the most recent ship seizure made by Iran amid tensions with the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, although it appears both ships could have been mistaken for different reasons.
Iran on April 27 seized the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet, staffed by 23 Indians and a Russian, while it was traveling in the Gulf of Oman.
Tehran claimed the ship struck another vessel, but tracking data from the Advantage Sweet showed no unusual actions during its voyage.
The ship was carrying Kuwaiti crude oil for US energy company Chevron when it was captured.
Iran has made similar statements in the past to cover up ships used as pawns in negotiations with the West.
Meanwhile, the Niovi, a Panamanian-flagged tanker, was seized by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday as it left a dry dock in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, bound for Fujairah on the east coast. of the United Arab Emirates.
United Against a Nuclear Iran, which has tracked Tehran-sanctioned crude shipments, “strongly suspects that the seizure of the Niovi is related to a dispute over an Iranian oil shipment,” said Claire Jungman, the organization’s chief of staff. .
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Iran said it seized the Niovi on an unspecified order from a court in Tehran.
The Greek Coast Guard said the Niovi was staffed by Greek, Filipino and Sri Lankan sailors.
