Iran sails captured ‘American’ oil tanker into its waters after brazen ‘revenge’ seizure ahead of ‘UK strike on Houthis
IRAN's navy says it is sailing a captured oil tanker to one of its ports after a brazen "revenge" raid on a busy shipping route.
The high-stakes provocation in the Gulf of Oman comes as British and US warships are poised to blitz Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Earlier today, masked gunmen in military uniforms stormed the St Nikolas, a Greek-owned 900ft tanker carrying 145,000 tons of crude.
The hijacked vessel then made a turn towards the Iranian coast.
Despite sailing under a Marshall Islands flag, Iran's official IRNA agency claimed the tanker belonged to the United States.
It said: "The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the seizure of an American oil tanker with a court order in the waters of the Oman Sea."
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And it added the raid was "in retaliation for the theft of oil by the American regime", and the ship "is being transferred to the ports of the Republic".
Iranian media reports gloated about the hijacking along with dramatic images from a similar raid last April.
Soldiers were pictured abseiling onto the deck of a ship as a chopper hovered overhead.
The St Nikolas was sailing in international waters after leaving Iraqi port Basra on January 8, bound for Turkey.
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The same ship, then known as the Suez Rajan, was involved in a year-long dispute between Tehran and the US Justice Department after a million barrels of Iranian crude oil was confiscated.
Greek shipping company Empire Navigation pleaded guilty last year to smuggling Iranian oil in breach of sanctions and agreed to pay a $2.4million fine.
The US said the oil board on was being sold by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to China.
Today the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel was stormed by a group of four or five people on Thursday morning.
The armed intruders were reported to be wearing military style black uniforms and black masks.
UKMTO, which provides warnings to sailors, said it took place some 50 miles off the coast of Oman.
Ambrey, a British maritime risk company, said the raiders covered the ship's cameras.
A security officer "reported hearing unknown voices over the phone along with the master's voice", it added.
All communications have been lost with the ship, which was carrying 19 crew -- 18 Filipinos and one Greek -- the tanker's operator said.
The dawn raid came as Houthi rebels vowed to ramp up attacks in the Red Sea if America attacks its bases in Yemen.
The Houthi’s leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a telelvised statement: “Any American attack will not remain without a response.
“The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with twenty drones and a number of missiles.”
On Tuesday a blizzard of 18 drones and missiles were shot down in the Red Sea.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond and American warships launched a coordinated blitz after the Houthis' biggest attack so far on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes on Tuesday night.
Britain's ambassador to the UN since vowed the UK will not "stand by" and let the Iran-backed rebels attack the Red Sea.
Dame Barbara Woodward said "all diplomatic means possible" were being used to stop the drone and missile strikes, with military action not been ruled out.
Tensions in the region have been boiling for months as the ripples from Israel's war in Gaza are felt across the world.
Iran - which funds Palestine terror group Hamas - is suspected of stoking the chaos via its proxies in Yemen and Lebanon.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have previously launched missile attacks on civilian cargo ships and even boarded on in a brazen chopper raid.
It has forced major shipping firms to reroute via the southern tip of Africa, adding weeks and millions of pounds to every voyage.
The Houthi attacks have been concentrated on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, to the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula - a vital sea link that carries $2trillion of trade a year.
Today's hijacking is located closer to the Strait of Hormuz, between Oman and Iran.
Britain is now on the brink of blasting bases in Yemen following the Houthis' Tuesday night attack on HMS Diamond.
Former head of the Royal Navy Admiral Lord West told TalkTV he is “almost certain” the US and UK will attack Yemen if the Houthis continue their attacks in the Red Sea.
He said: “I don’t think we can let this go on and we have to show that enough is enough.
“I think we’re in a position now where we can’t just sit there shooting down missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones being fired at our warships but also at peaceful merchant ships...
"We can’t just sit there letting them take pot shots, shooting them down at immense cost.
"We’ve got to make it clear to them that this is not allowed.
"They can’t disrupt world trade in this way and I think the answer is, in self defence terms, if someone fires missiles at you from a site, that site is perfectly valid as a target."
He continued: "There’s no doubt, the Iranians do not want a war.
"The most important thing to the Iranian government is the survival of the Iranian regime and if there was a war, although it would be absolutely awful.
"No one would want that because it would set a light to the Middle East, it would mean the end of the Iranian regime and they know that.
“The impact on global economics and on trade generally is absolutely immense.
"The cost to the average man on the street is gigantic. It really will have an impact and I don’t think we can let this go on and we have to show that enough is enough.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also warned military might was in place “to do what needs to be done” following the attack on HMS Diamond.
Asked if Britain would launch strikes on Yemen, he responded: “Watch this space”.
Shapps said the Type 45 destroyer, with 260 crew, appeared to have been targeted in strikes on Tuesday night but the drones and missiles were downed with “no injuries or damage sustained to HMS Diamond or her crew”.
He vowed the Houthi rebels would face “consequences” for launching their largest ever attack on shipping with 18 kamikaze drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and a ballistic anti-ship missile on Tuesday night.
He said: “We're living in much more dangerous times.”
Q&A on Yemen's Houthi rebels
WHO are the Houthis?
SHIA Islamist rebels who are in control of much of western Yemen. They formed in the 1990s and are backed by Iran.
Their slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
WHY are they attacking ships?
TO show support for Hamas following the outbreak of its war with Israel. On November 19, the Houthis promised to target vessels they believe are heading to and from Israel.
ARE they a danger to the UK?
YES. The attacks disrupt global supply routes. Ships are sailing further which could see prices and inflation go up.
Delays in natural gas shipments will force energy costs to rise
Iran is thought to have radars on its merchant ship MV Behshad to track vessels in the region and pass intel to Houthis.
Shapps said there was no doubt that Iran was the “eyes and ears” of the rebels.
He told The Sun: “Iran are helping to guide these attacks. That is certainly the case.
“We are being very clear with Tehran that this is not acceptable.”
But he signalled any UK strikes would target Houthis in Yemenn not Iran directly.
But military experts at the Rusi think tank warned: “It may prove difficult for the West to effectively degrade Houthi capabilities”.
Rear Admiral Chris Parry told The Sun: "The end is to impose costs on those countries that are either tacitly or actively supporting Israel.
"What they're doing is interrupting international trade through an international straits.
"And hoping that will put pressure on both the free world economies but also the governments of the country is concerned."
He added: "I think right now, the warships in the Red Sea are coping pretty admirably with the threat.
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"But as soon as you get an indication that those warships might be overwhelmed by the threat then you will see immediate strike action against elements of the command system of the Houthi rebels and also their military capability.
"I think over time the international community is going to lose patience with the Houthis as well."
