Iran says tankers seized because Greece ‘stole’ oil

• Iran’s seizure of two Greek oil tankers last month was in retaliation for Greece.
• On May 27, the Revolutionary Guards boarded and took control of two vessels.
• The seizure came after Greece confirmed it would send 115,000 tonnes of Iranian oil.

Iran’s supreme leader said on Saturday that the country’s seizure of two Greek oil tankers late last month was in retaliation for Greece “stealing” Iranian oil.

On May 27, the Revolutionary Guards boarded and took control of two vessels in the Gulf, citing “violations,” which Greece condemned as “piracy.”

The seizure came two days after Greece confirmed it would send 115,000 tonnes of Iranian oil from a Russian-flagged tanker, seized in April, to the United States at the request of the US Treasury and in line with the latter’s sanctions regime.

Read more: Iran supreme leader accuses ‘enemy’ of trying to use protests

“The Iranian fuel was stolen off Greece, then the brave (forces) of the Islamic republic made up for that by seizing an enemy ship,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech marking the 1989 death of Ayatollah Ali Ruhollah Khomenei, who founded the Islamic republic.

“It’s you who stole our oil,” Khamenei said, addressing the country’s “enemies.”

Washington, Germany and France all called on Iran to release the vessels.

According to Athens, Iranian navy helicopters dropped gunmen onto the two tankers to carry out the seizures.

Greek authorities had previously seized the Russian-flagged ship in order to comply with sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The Iranian maritime authority called the move “international robbery.”

Read more: Oman and Iran ink deals on oil field, gas pipelines: official