Maritime monitoring service locates seized Greek vessels in Iranian waters

Tehran's navy seized the two tankers on May 27 in the Gulf

The 'Pegas' tanker, that has recently changed its name to 'Lana', is seen in the foreground, off the port of Karystos on the Greek island of Evia. AP Photo

Two Greek oil tankers seized by Iran last week are located in Iranian waters, monitoring service TankerTrackers.com tweeted on Thursday.

“We now have a visual confirmation that the hijacked Greek Suezmax tanker Prudent Warrior is in the anchorage of Bandar Abbas, Iran,” the online service, which tracks and reports shipments and storage of crude oil, said on Twitter.

The second vessel, the Delta Poseidon, also a Suezmax tanker, is being held north of Larak island, it added.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy seized the two vessels on May 27 in the Gulf, after the US confiscated oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker, the Pegas, held off the Greek coast, Tehran's state media had said.

The action appeared to be retaliation for Greece's seizure of the Pegas and Athens' compliance with the US request to transfer the ship to the US East Coast.

The Pegas was later released but the seizure inflamed tensions at a delicate time, with Iran and world powers seeking to revive a deal to restrain Tehran's nuclear programme which former US president Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.

The raid marks the first major incident at sea in months as tensions remain high between Iran and the West over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers.

As Tehran enriches more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, worries mount that negotiators will not find a way back to the accord.