Iran: US report on seized Iran oil cargoes false

Iran has confirmed that US reports on the seizing of Iranian fuel cargoes aboard ships bound for Venezuela are false, Iranian media reported on Friday.

Press TV reported informed Iranian sources stating that the fuel shipments in question had already been purchased and paid for, and that neither the vessels carrying them nor the shipments themselves were related to Iran.

According to Press TV, The Wall Street Journal reported US officials on Thursday claiming that the US government had for the first time seized vessels allegedly carrying Iranian gasoline to Venezuela, in an effort to intensify its campaign of maximum pressure against Tehran.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US had recently seized four vessels – called Luna, Pandi, Bering and Bella – on the high seas and that they were being transferred to Houston, Texas.