Iran is stoking tension in Hormuz by seizing a Korean oil tanker



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The Revolutionary Guard said the ship was arrested at the request of the Maritime Organization of the Hormuzgan Governorate, located in southern Iran, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, and based on a signal from the provincial prosecutor.

Previously, the naval forces of the Islamic Republic had intercepted or stopped ships crossing the Gulf.

One of the most prominent events was the arrest of the tanker “Stena Impero” flying the UK flag in July 2019. The ship was arrested, accused of colliding with a fishing vessel, and abandoned after about two months.

Tensions have increased in the Gulf in recent years with the adoption by the United States, under President Donald Trump, of a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, especially since its decision to unilaterally withdraw in 2018 from the agreement signed. with major powers on Tehran’s nuclear program.

There are signs that Tehran continues to escalate to the maximum before the US president-elect takes office on January 20, and these are negative signs that threaten escalating tensions in the region.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry demanded the release of the tanker that was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Gulf on Monday.

A statement said that “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls for the prompt release of the ship” that the Iranian revolutionary accused of violating “marine environmental laws”, noting that it had verified the safety of its crew members, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Iran responded for its part that the detention of the Korean tanker was “within the framework of the law.”

The seizure of the tanker also comes ahead of the South Korean vice foreign minister’s long-awaited visit to Tehran.

In this regard, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the visit will take place in the next few days, during which time Iran’s request that South Korea release assets for seven billion dollars frozen in its banks due to US sanctions will be discussed.

The United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after President Donald Trump withdrew from an international agreement to lift sanctions in exchange for restrictions on the nuclear program. Tehran describes the US sanctions as an economic war.

Two companies specializing in maritime security said early Monday that Iranian authorities had apparently stopped the Hankook Kimi ship, owned by the shipping company “DM”, which was sailing from the chemical oil dock in Jubail in Saudi Arabia before the incident, and that he was detained within Iranian territorial waters and taken to Bandar. Abbas.

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