Iran seizes an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman connected to the US

The Iranian navy has captured an oil tanker connected to the US in the Gulf of Oman, as part of a legal battle with the US over a year-old court order that seized Iranian oil.

As part of a protracted legal battle with the US over an American court order from a year ago that seized Iranian oil on the tanker and unloaded the cargo in Texas, the Iranian navy has captured an oil tanker connected to the US in the Gulf of Oman. As a result of repeated Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the official Iranian news media stated on Wednesday that the tanker had been detained under the authority of an Iranian court decision. Nevertheless, the announcement would exacerbate the region's already-rising concerns around freedom of navigation.

The Houthis aim to destabilize Israel's economy and US-led naval forces due to the Gaza conflict, and a joint US-UK attack on Houthi military installations in Yemen is likely unrelated to the seizure of the tanker St. Nikolas.

The tanker, formerly known as the Suez Rajan, had its name changed following the September 2018 unloading of 980,000 metric tons of Iranian oil off the ship in Texas as a result of a protracted legal dispute. The Suez Rajan was eventually transported to Houston, where the ship's cargo was unloaded, after a US district judge determined that the ship's owners had permitted the loading of Iranian oil that was subject to sanctions.