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Greece protested what it known as the “violent seizure” of two Greek-flagged ships within the Persian Gulf by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Friday.
Earlier Friday, Greece mentioned an Iranian helicopter landed on a Greek-flagged ship, the Delta Poseidon, in worldwide waters some 22 nautical miles close to to the coast of Iran.
In a press release, the Greek Ministry of International Affairs mentioned, “Armed males then took the crew captive.”
The assertion added, “The same incident has been reported on one other Greek-flagged vessel, that was carrying seven Greek residents, near the coast of Iran.”
What is understood concerning the seizure of the 2 Greek-flagged ships?
A Greek official informed the AP the second ship is the Prudent Warrior. Earlier, the ship’s proprietor, Polembros Delivery in Greece, mentioned the corporate was “cooperating with the authorities and making each attainable effort to handle the state of affairs successfully.”
Greek officers haven’t offered particulars concerning the nationalities of the crews on board the ships on the time of their seizure.
A US protection official informed the AP that the 2 ships had drifted into Iranian territorial waters. The official mentioned each ships had turned off their monitoring units and neither ship had issued a misery name.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards mentioned in a press release on their official web site that its forces seized the 2 tankers attributable to “violations that have been dedicated,” with out specifying.
Athens reacted by accusing the Iranians of “piracy” and known as in Iran’s ambassador in protest.
What’s the strategic context of the ships’ seizure?
The seizure comes days after Greece mentioned it might ship Iranian oil seized from a Russian tanker within the Mediterranean Sea to Washington. Earlier Friday, Tehran mentioned it might take “punitive motion” for Greece’s function within the incident.
There have been quite a few assaults within the Persian Gulf since former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal, formally often called the Joint Complete Plan of Motion (JCPOA). Nonetheless, there has not been a big incident in months.
Negotiations over the destiny of Iran’s nuclear program have stalled. Greece’s international ministry cautioned that the violent seizure of the 2 ships would have “significantly destructive penalties” on bilateral relations in addition to on Iran’s relations with the EU.
ar/rt (Reuters, AP, AFP)
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