Iran seizes South Korea tanker bound for UAE

Iran today seized a South Korean-flagged tanker which was reportedly heading for the UAE, media sources in the country reported.

Local news sources said the vessel had been seized by the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards navy for polluting Gulf waters with chemicals.

Informed sources confirmed that a ship with South Korean flag was seized in #PersianGulf due to creating environmental and chemical pollution https://t.co/GHhgnmfnLn pic.twitter.com/cxgSPEV7Xd

— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) January 4, 2021

South Korea‘s foreign ministry later confirmed that a South Korean chemical tanker had been seized by Iranian authorities in the waters off Oman, and demanded its immediate release.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) naval authority earlier said on its website that an “interaction” between Iranian authorities and a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz led the ship to alter its course and proceed into Iranian waters.

In 2019, Iran also detained a vessel in the Gulf for allegedly smuggling diesel to the United Arab Emirates.

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