KEY POINTS

  • Tanker sale was thwarted after U.S. bank froze funds
  • The tanker was allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on Iran
  • The ship was last seen on satellite in Iranian waters

An oil tanker the United States had accused of violating sanctions on Iran was hijacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a UK-based seafarers group said Wednesday, July 15.

The U.S. Justice Department had alleged in court documents that the Dominican Republic-flagged vessel was bought by two Iranians and suggested the role of Iran's elite Quds Force. The U.S. military strike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian general was a flashpoint in the recent spiralling of the U.S.-Iran relations.

David Hammond, chief executive at seafarers group Human Rights at Sea, told the Associated Press that the captain of the MT Gulf Sky confirmed that the ship had been hijacked. The vessel was seen in Iranian waters on satellite photos released Tuesday, July 14. Two of its sailors are believed to be in Tehran.

Hammond also said that 26 Indian sailors on board had reached their home country. “We are delighted to hear that the crew are safe and well which has been our fundamental concern from the outset,” he said.

The 28 sailors had been stuck on board without pay since the vessel was abandoned by its owners in March off the UAE, according to the International Labor Organization.

The U.S. Justice Department alleged that two Iranians had tried to buy the vessel but the seller never received the payment because a U.S. bank froze the funds related to the sale. A civil action initiated by the seller to recover the vessel was pending in the UAE while it sailed.

The U.S. government had earlier said that the ship took Iranian oil from Kharg Island to sell it abroad, circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran.

U.S.-Iranian relations deteriorated after Trump pulled the country out of the internationally backed Iran Nuclear Deal. Trump authorized an operation in January that killed Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

In June, Iran issued an arrest warrant against Trump and asked Interpol to issue its highest level notice against him. Interpol is not expected to act on the request.

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