US attempt to seize Greek super-oil tanker under the pretext of carrying two million barrels of Iranian oil
In the last days of the Donald Trump administration, the US Department of Justice has ordered the seizure of a Greek super tanker that is said to be carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil in the South Atlantic.
Bloomberg claims that the Liberian-flagged Achilles supercar is moving in international waters but is owned by a Greek company. Some sources familiar with the matter in Washington have said without revealing their identities that this is the latest US attempt to stop the export of Iranian crude oil in a situation where Joe Biden has entered the White House with a promise to return to Borjam.
Meanwhile, the management of the Greek company Malik Ecilis informed US officials that they initially thought that the crude oil belonged to Iraq and that they may have unknowingly entered into a deal to transport about two million barrels of Iranian crude oil. A Justice Department spokesman has not yet commented on the incident or its details.
According to Bloomberg, the Achilles super-tanker received about two million barrels of oil from another tanker in the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates in November, and its next destination was the port of Muscat, the capital of Oman. The giant tanker turned off its tracking system off the coast of South Africa from January 1 to 13 and is currently in the South Atlantic Ocean.
This is not the first time that the US government has attempted and planned to seize Iranian and other Iranian oil tankers. Last year, the Americans tried to prevent Iranian gas tankers from reaching Venezuela, but failed. In recent days, the President and Minister of Petroleum of Iran have announced a significant increase in oil exports.
A few days ago, an Iranian super-tanker was stopped under the pretext of polluting the environment during the transfer of two million barrels of oil to a Panamanian tanker in Indonesian waters. Iran is trying to resolve its super-oil problem with Indonesian officials through diplomatic channels and political negotiations.