Iran’s navy seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman that was at the center of a major US-Iran crisis

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s navy has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once was at the center of a major crisis between Tehran and Washington, a seizure that further escalates tensions in the Mideast waterways. The vessel was once known as the Suez Rajan and was involved in a yearlong dispute that ultimately saw the U.S. Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on it. Iran’s state-run television acknowledged the seizure late Thursday afternoon, hours after armed men boarded it. The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.