TEHRAN, Iran (Washington Insider Magazine) – According to an administration source and a former administration official, a Greek oil vessel was held by Iran containing thousands of gallons of oil valued more than $100 million which was destined to the United States.
According to sources, the tanker Prudent Warrior was heading from Iraq to Texas when Iran captured it in international waters in the Persian Gulf and moved it into Iranian territorial waters in late May.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, acknowledged that Iranian armed forces launched from choppers in the Persian Gulf seized 2 tankers, the Delta Poseidon and the Prudent Warrior. He claimed Iran seized the ships in revenge for Greece’s assistance in the April seizure of an Iranian-flagged crude oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea by the US.
Owing to European Union sanctions, Greek officials confiscated the Iranian-flagged Pegas, which had 19 Russian employees on board, near the shore of the southern island of Evia last month.
According to Reuters, the US later intercepted the Iranian oil shipment carried onboard.
A Greek court allegedly overturned the ruling allowing the US to seize the oil on Wednesday.
According to NBC NEWS, authorities estimate that the oil on each tanker captured by Iran is valued well over $100 million.
Tensions between Iran and the United States are rising, and expectations of reviving the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran are fading. While Iran seeks to enrich uranium further to weapons-grade levels, negotiations have come to a halt. The United Nations’ atomic watchdog agency announced on Thursday that Iran had begun removing 27 surveillance cameras that were supposed to monitor Iran’s nuclear programme, describing the move as a possibly “fatal blow” to the 2015 nuclear accord.
Strikes on US military outposts in Syria and Iraq are also on the rise, with more attacks in May than in the preceding 3 months combined. 7 attacks were reported in May, compared to 3 in April, 3 in March, and 1 in February. In these occurrences, no Americans have been killed.
