TEHRAN -- Iran said Monday Iran will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to defend its national interests after the country’s army confiscated a U.S. oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Iran has proved that its hands are not tied up if its national interests are threatened.
U.S. authorities ordered a tanker of Iranian crude oil to redirect towards the U.S. in recent days, in a move that was the trigger for Iran’s decision to capture the U.S.-bound tanker on Thursday, the Financial Times reported.
The paper said the U.S. had intervened to reroute a ship loaded with Iranian crude, originally destined for China.
The U.S. Department of Justice seized the tanker, the Suez Rajan, with cooperation from at least one company involved with the vessel, after it took on board a cargo of Iranian oil, it added.
“The previously unreported U.S. action towards the Suez Rajan shines a new light on Iran’s decision to capture the Advantage Sweet, a U.S.-bound tanker of Kuwaiti crude that was chartered by Chevron,” the FT said.
A U.S. official said Thursday’s “seizure appears to be in retaliation for a prior U.S. seizure of Iranian oil”.
Iran has a history of seizing tankers in retaliation for western countries targeting its crude oil shipments. In 2019, Iran seized two British-flagged tankers shortly after the UK had impounded an Iranian vessel that had stopped at Gibraltar en route to Syria.
Last year, Iran also took two Greek-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, after Greece had allowed the U.S. to drain the cargo of an Iranian tanker in Greek waters.
he Hormuz strait, a narrow channel that separates Iran from Oman and the United Arab Emirates, is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes for oil.
The Advantage Sweet Suezmax tanker that Iran seized was operating under a short-term charter for Chevron, one of the largest U.S. oil companies. Its crew, all Indian nationals, are now being held by Iran. It was taken in the Gulf of Oman east of the Hormuz strait, according to U.S. Central Command.
Vessels and crew seized by Iran in the past have eventually been released.
Kanaani also spoke about Iran’s lawsuit against the U.S. at the International Court of Justice over the freezing of Iranian assets by Washington.
He said any negotiations with the U.S. will be within the framework of the ruling of the ICJ. He said as per the ruling of the court, the verdict must be honored within 23 months.
Kanaani said given that the U.S. has been convicted by the international body, Iran insists that the ruling
be honored in as short a time as possible.
The spokesman further touched on the possibility of a prisoner exchange between Iran and the U.S., saying Tehran is ready for such a swap.
Kanaani noted that the exchange of prisoners began a long time ago between Tehran and Washington with the mediation of third parties and that the two sides reached an agreement to this effect.
It was the U.S., however, that failed to fulfill its pledge under the deal and the prisoner exchange hit a snag as a result, he added.
“The process has continued for a long time through a third party. Unfortunately, it did not go well due to the U.S.’s bad faith. We consider it a human issue and hope to see practical action on the opposite side.”
Kanaani said Iran considers boosting relations with its neighbors as a key to mutual security, emphasizing that the country’s principled policy is “neighbors first”.
“Iran considers strengthening relations based on the neighborliness policy as the most important factor to achieve mutual security. Iran’s principled policy puts neighbors first,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told reporters.
Touching on the recent Iran-Saudi rapprochement, the spokesman said the two countries are at the initial stage of resuming bilateral ties and the reopening of embassies, noting that three Iranian diplomatic missions in Riyadh and Jeddah have already started their activities.
He also expressed Tehran’s gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its cooperation in transferring 65 Iranian citizens who had been evacuated from Sudan.
“By the way, in these initial steps of diplomatic activities, we saw good coordination between the two countries regarding a humanitarian issue. The tragic events we are witnessing in Sudan created opportunities for humanitarian measures. The transfer of 65 Iranian citizens from Sudan was a positive event that took place in the shadow of Saudi authorities’ cooperation with Iran. I must thank Saudi authorities for their valuable cooperation. It was really a very complicated issue,” he said.
Kanaani further said a planned two-day visit by the Iranian president to Syria will take place on Wednesday.
He said Iran and Syria enjoy strategic cooperation, stressing that Iran will stand by Syrians in the reconstruction phase just as in the country’s fight against terror.
The visit will focus on issues of interest of both sides, and Raisi will hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, especially on economic cooperation. They are also expected to sign several cooperation agreements.
Kanaani also said a series of practical steps have been taken to clear up misunderstanding with Azerbaijan.
The two countries, he said, have held three rounds of talks to de-escalate tensions, adding he was optimistic about the political process.