The tanker Bella's cargo has been seized as it was carrying petroleum from Iran to Venezuela, the U.S. says. The tanker is seen here in a photo provided by the Department of Justice. Department of Justice hide caption
The U.S. has seized Iranian petroleum bound for Venezuela aboard four tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, enforcing a forfeiture order aimed at both Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Caracas government, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Roughly 1.116 million barrels of petroleum was confiscated from the foreign-flagged vessels M/T Bella, M/T Bering, M/T Pandi and M/T Luna, a Justice Department statement said, adding that the seizure took place "with the assistance of foreign partners."
The cargo was intercepted on Wednesday, acting on a warrant issued by a U.S. District Court over a July 2 complaint seeking the forfeiture of all petroleum products aboard the vessels. The property is now in U.S. custody, the Justice Department says.
The Trump administration declared Iran's IRGC to be a terrorist organization in April of 2019.
In a tweet, Iran's Ambassador to Venezuela Hojat Soltani rejected as "fake news" the U.S. claim of seizing the four tankers.
Otra mentira y guerra psicológica de la máquina de propaganda de #EEUU.
— Hojat Soltani (@soltanihojjat) August 13, 2020
Los barcos no son iraníes, y ni el dueño ni su bandera no tiene nada que ver con #Irán.
El terrorista #trump no puede compensar su humillación y derrota contra Irán con falsas propagandas. pic.twitter.com/CVBijpJc0q
"Yet another lie and psychological warfare by the US propaganda machine. The tankers are neither Iranians, nor their owners or flags have anything to do with Iran. The terrorist Trump just wants to cover up the humiliation of his failure against the great nation of Iran by scattering false propaganda," the ambassador wrote.
The U.S. and several international powers, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom banded together to protect international shipping in and around the Gulf of Oman last year, following alleged Iranian attacks on oil tankers there. It was not immediately clear which "foreign partners" may have been involved in the U.S. seizure.
The M/T Pandi is seen in a photo provided by the Justice Department. Department of Justice hide caption
The action represents the U.S. government's largest-ever seizure of fuel shipments from Iran, the DOJ said.
"After enforcement of the U.S. forfeiture order, Iran's navy forcibly boarded an unrelated ship in an apparent attempt to recover the seized petroleum, but was unsuccessful," according to U.S. Central Command, which posted a video on Thursday of what the U.S. is calling a failed Iranian operation.
Today in international waters, Iranian forces, including two ships and an Iranian "Sea King" helicopter, overtook and boarded a ship called the 'Wila.' pic.twitter.com/455UQ5jwHT
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 12, 2020
The petroleum seizure comes as the U.N. Security Council has been holding tense discussions over a proposed U.S. extension of a 2015 arms embargo against Iran, which is due to expire in October. The extension is opposed by both China and Russia.
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U.S. Seizes Iranian Fuel From 4 Tankers Bound For Venezuela - NPR
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