![An Iranian-flagged tanker [INDONESIAN COAST GUARD / Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Nassima-20210126_2_46560494_61945936.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
Iran's Oil Ministry said the oil cargo of an Iranian-flagged super-tanker seized by Indonesia last week does not belong to Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Friday, Reuters reports.
An Oil Ministry statement, reported by the country's state media, did not identify the owner of the cargo of "MT Arman 114", an Iranian-flagged super-tanker suspected of involvement in the illegal trans-shipment of crude oil, which Indonesia's coast guard said on 11 July it had seized.
"Published news linking the cargo of this ship to … Iran have no validity and this is done with the aim of creating a negative atmosphere against our country," the Oil Ministry statement said, without elaborating.
READ: Iran says Oman presented some initiatives for revival of nuclear pact
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been rising after Iran tried to seize the "Richmond Voyager" tanker, which was managed by US oil major, Chevron, earlier in July in international Gulf waters.
On Thursday, the Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Navy said Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from another seized tanker, currently anchored outside the port of Houston.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also criticised the United States for leading a proposal at the UN shipping agency's council to rescind Tehran's bid to host a maritime event in October.
"America's move … proves that the political abuse of the United Nations' technical and specialised bodies has no limit for this country," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement carried by state media.
US State Department spokesperson, Matt Miller, told reporters in a news briefing on Thursday that Iran had no business hosting official international gatherings related to maritime affairs, because it had demonstrated its contempt for international maritime rules, standards and safety.
The US Navy said in July it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers, including the "Richmond Voyager", in the Gulf of Oman, in the latest in a series of attacks on ships in the area since 2019.
Meanwhile, data from the public Equasis site and data analytics company, MarineTraffic, showed that one of "Arman 114's" previous names was "Grace 1".
The "Grace 1" was seized by British Royal Marine commandos in July 2019 on suspicion of trying to take oil to Syria, in violation of EU sanctions. It was released the following month after a diplomatic standoff with the West.
READ: Indonesia seizes Iran-flagged tanker suspected of illegal oil transfer
Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.
Spotted an error on this page? Let us know
