US Officials Seized Four Iranian Gas Tankers 

According to the Wall Street Journal reports, Iranian tankers have been stranded offshore in recent days and are now en route to Houston, Texas.

The report adds that senior US officials are to be present at the port when the tankers arrive.

Last month, the US Federal Attorney’s Office handed over a request to US authorities to seize four Iranian tankers bound for Venezuela. Washington is trying to prevent Iran and Venezuela from gaining access to financial resources and goods to help them maintain their power.

A US official told the Wall Street Journal that the tankers faced seizing without the use of force. However, he declined to give details of the incident. 

Last year, the United States tried to regain control of an Iranian oil tanker seized by Britain in Gibraltar. They attempted this through judicial cooperation agreements, but failed.

Last week, a federal judge in Washington gave the US government the right to the Iranian tanker Grace 1. He said the federal prosecutor had provided enough evidence that the boat belonged to a terrorist organization. The tanker finally went free last summer, despite US opposition.

The Wall Street Journal added that the US federal prosecutor demanded the seizure of the two tankers, Bella and Bering. 

The US government lawsuit alleges that Iranian businesspeople affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards tried to sell the tankers through fictitious companies set up to circumvent US sanctions. 

Russ Dallen, a Miami-based partner at brokerage Caracas Capital Markets, stated that the Bering went dark on May 11 near Greece. Meanwhile, Bella disappeared on July 2 in the Philippines. Luna and Pandi were last spotted in the Gulf of Oman on July 10 when the US seizure order came. According to shipping data, the Pandi was taken apart or sold as scrap.

Rouhani warned that Iran would retaliate

Hours after the WSJ report, the Associated Press provided more details about the incident. The American non-profit news agency quoted US officials saying that the tankers were aiming for Venezuela. But in the end, never reached their destination.

The report says that the US Federal Prosecutor claimed that the tankers were carrying 1.1 million barrels of Iranian gasoline. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani previously warned that Iran would retaliate if the United States posed a problem for Iranian tankers.

According to Hojad Soltani, Iran’s ambassador to Venezuela, the US propoganda machine currently utilizes psychological warfare against them.