This morning, the Suez Rajan oil tanker was hijacked in the Gulf of Oman, over which the US and Iran previously disputed, the British military announced.
The tanker, which is now called Saint Nikola, was boarded by personnel in military uniforms who were not authorized to do so. The security manager said that when he tried to contact the ship, he heard unknown voices on the phone.
The soldiers who boarded the ship wore black uniforms and black masks. Private security firm Ambrei said six soldiers covered surveillance cameras before boarding.
Suspicion for the hijacking of the ship fell on Iran because it had been arguing with the US over Suez Rajan for a year. In 2022, the US first diverted a ship carrying Iranian crude oil destined for China.
The US Department of Justice detained the tanker by court order, with the cooperation of at least one company. A year-long dispute over the ship ended with the US seizing a million barrels of Iranian crude oil on board.
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on today’s incident.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the soldiers had boarded the ship, but said nothing more. Iran’s mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
