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Fars News Agency News

06 Mar 2024

Iran to Unload Crude from Seized Tanker Advantage Sweet

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Iran will unload about $50 million worth of crude from a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker seized last year, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday, in a tit-for-tat action against the United States.Advantage Sweet is a Suezmax crude tanker that had been chartered by U.S. firm Chevron and was seized in April 2023 by Iran's army following an alleged collision with an Iranian boat.The unloading of the cargo follows a Tehran court order in favor of Iranian patients of Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)…

14 Jan 2024

TankerTrackers Locates Seized Tanker off Iran's Qeshm Island

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The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday has been located east of Iran's Qeshm Island, monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said in a post on social media platform X.Iran seized the St Nikolas, loaded with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey, in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its Iranian oil cargo by the United States, Iranian state media reported."The Greek-owned, UK-insured and Marshall Islands-flagged Suezmax tanker ST NIKOLAS...laden with 1 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil…

11 Jan 2024

Iran Confirms Seizure of Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute

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Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.The seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas coincides with weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias targeting Red Sea shipping routes."After the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year, St Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran's Navy this morning with a judicial order ...

10 Jul 2023

Iran Accuses US Navy of Defending Fuel Smuggling in Gulf Incident

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An Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander accused the U.S. Navy on Monday of defending fuel smuggling in the Gulf by trying to interfere when Iran intercepted a ship last week."On July 6th, Revolutionary Guards' Navy personnel were inspecting a ship with the name NADA 2 that was involved in smuggling Iranian oil and gas in the Persian Gulf, which the Americans sought to prevent through a series of unprofessional and risky actions," IRGC Commander Ramazan Zirrahi said in comments reported by Iran's Tasnim news agency.On July 7th…

16 Jan 2023

Iranian Oil Exports End 2022 at a High, Despite No Nuclear Deal

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Iranian oil exports hit new highs in the last two months of 2022 and are making a strong start to 2023 despite U.S. sanctions, according to companies that track the flows, on higher shipments to China and Venezuela.Tehran's oil exports have been limited since former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 exited a 2015 nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions aimed at curbing oil exports and the associated revenue to Iran's government.Exports have risen during the term of his successor President Joe Biden, who had sought to revive the nuclear deal, and hit the highest since 2019 on some estimates.

25 Apr 2022

Iran Guards Seize Foreign Ship in Gulf for Smuggling Fuel

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Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have seized a foreign vessel in the Gulf for smuggling 200,000 liters of fuel, a senior Guards commander told the semi-official Fars news agency on Sunday."The ship was seized in the northern part of the Persian Gulf.

22 Nov 2021

Iran's Guards Seize Foreign Ship in Gulf

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday they had seized a foreign ship in Gulf waters loaded with what they described as smuggled diesel.Guards commander Ahmad Hajian said the ship's 11 crew had been detained, but did not give details on their nationality or identify the ship."After inspection, more than 150,000 liters of smuggled diesel were discovered," Iran's state broadcaster quoted Hajian as saying.The semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards…

02 Aug 2021

Iran Warns of Response if Security Threatened After Ship Attack

Iran will respond promptly to any threat against its security, the foreign ministry said on Monday, after the United States, Israel and Britain blamed Tehran for an attack on an Israeli-managed tanker off the coast of Oman.Tehran has denied any involvement in the attack on Thursday in which two crew members—a Briton and a Romanian—were killed.The United States and Britain said on Sunday they would work with their allies to respond to the attack on the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the incident as "clearly an unacceptable and outrageous attack on commercial shipping"."Iran should face up to the consequences of what they've done…

02 Jun 2021

Iran's Largest Navy Ship Catches Fire and Sinks in Gulf of Oman

A vertical view of the Iranian replenishment oiler KHARG underway (File Photo) Copyright: Public Domain

Iran's largest navy ship the Kharg sank on Wednesday after catching fire in the Gulf of Oman, but the crew was safely rescued, Iranian media reported.No further explanation was given for the latest incident in a region of sensitive waterways, where there have been accusations of attacks on ships owned by arch-enemies Iran and Israel.State TV said the fire on Iran's highest-tonnage naval vessel started around 2:25 a.m.on Wednesday (21:55 GMT) near the Iranian port of Jask, where…

11 Jan 2021

Iran Tells South Korea Not to Politicize Seized Vessel

Iran said on Sunday that South Korea should avoid politicizing the seizure of its vessel by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Gulf, Iranian state media reported, while pressing Seoul to release $7 billion in funds frozen amid U.S. sanctions.South Korea’s vice foreign minister, Choi Jong-kun, arrived in Tehran on Sunday to discuss the release of the South Korean-flagged MT Hankuk Chemi, which was seized by the Guards on Monday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.Iran has denied allegations that the seizure of the tanker and its 20-member crew amounted to hostage taking, and said it was Seoul that was holding Iran’s funds “hostage”.Iran’s…

20 Nov 2020

Iran Seizes Tanker for Alleged Fuel Smuggling

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards have seized a Panama-registered vessel in the Gulf suspected of smuggling 300,000 liters of fuel and detained its crew of 10, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.The agency did not give the nationality of the crew members or other details of the incident in its report.Iran, which has some of the world’s cheapest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the fall of its national currency as it faces U.S.

11 May 2020

Iran: 19 Sailors Killed in Naval Friendly-Fire Incident

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One Iranian warship accidentally struck another with a missile during an exercise, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others, Iran's navy said on Monday.The incident took place during training in the Gulf of Oman, a sensitive waterway that connects to the Strait of Hormuz through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Iran regularly conducts exercises in the area.The frigate Jamaran fired at a training target released by a support ship, the Konarak. However, the support ship stayed too close to the target and was hit…

23 Sep 2019

British Tanker Stena Impero Free to Leave - Iran ambassador

The detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero is "free to leave," Iran's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hamid Baeidinejad, said on Twitter on Monday."The British-flagged tanker 'Stena Impero', pursuant to the completion of the judicial and legal process, is now free to leave," he wrote.The seizure on July 19 of the ship, two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar, ratcheted up tensions in the region in the wake of attacks on other merchant vessels that Washington blamed on Tehran.Iran denied responsibility for those attacks, which took place along a vital international oil shipping route.An Iranian government…

21 Aug 2019

Iran: Waterways Won't be Safe if its Oil Exports

A US Navy fleet oiler on station. CREDIT: USN

If Iran's oil exports are cut to zero, international waterways will not have the same security as before, its president said on Wednesday, cautioning Washington against upping pressure on Tehran in an angry confrontation between the longtime foes.The comment by President Hassan Rouhani coincided with a remark by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that Tehran might act "unpredictably" in response to "unpredictable" U.S. policies under President Donald Trump."World powers know that in the case that oil is completely sanctioned and Iran's oil exports are brought down to zero…

13 Aug 2019

Gibraltar: Iran Tanker Release Report Incorrect

A highly placed Gibraltarian government source denied on Tuesday an Iranian news agency report which said the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 would be leaving the British overseas territory on Tuesday.British Royal Marines seized the tanker on July 4 off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of violating EU sanctions by taking oil to Syria, which Tehran denies.Iran's semi-official Fars news agency quoted unidentified Gibraltar authorities as saying the tanker would bee freed on Tuesday evening.A senior Gibraltarian government source said that report was not correct. Earlier, Gibraltar said it was seeking to de-escalate the situation. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge

11 Jul 2019

Britain Foils Iranian Attempt to Block Tanker

File Image: A UK Navy warship on patrol (CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Peter Cripps)

Three Iranian vessels tried to block a BP-operated tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz but backed off when confronted by a Royal Navy warship, the UK government said on Thursday.Britain urged Iran to "de-escalate the situation in the region" after the British Heritage, a Suezmax oil tanker operated by BP under an Isle of Man flag, was approached."HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels…

17 Jun 2019

Iran: If Strait of Hormuz to be Blocked, it will do it "publicly"

Iran's military denied on Monday being behind attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week, and said if it decided to block Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway in the Gulf for the oil industry, it will do it publicly.Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri was quoted as saying by Fars news agency: "Regarding the new incidents in the Persian Gulf... if the Islamic Republic of Iran decides to block exports of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, it is militarily strong enough to do that fully and publicly."Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin

29 May 2019

Iran Dismisses U.S. Remarks on UAE Tanker Attacks

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday dismissed remarks by U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton that Iranian naval mines were likely used in attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates this month.Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying by Fars news agency: "Raising this ludicrous claim in a meeting of those with a long history of anti-Iran policies is not strange... Iran's strategic patience, vigilance and defensive prowess will defuse mischievous plots made by Bolton and other warmongers."Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin

23 May 2019

Iran, Iraq to Dredge Arvand river

Iran and Iraq have agreed to solve the issue of dredging of Arvand River (Shatt al-Arab) in Iranian southwestern city of Khorramshahr in Khouzestan.Based on the agreement reached, it was decided to establish a temporary technical committee with the aim of providing the preconditions for joint dredging of Arvand River, said Fars News Agency."It is expected that more technical meetings with Iran and Iraq experts will be held for dredging operations at Arvand river in the upcoming ten days," said Alireza Khojasteh, Director General for Maritime Safety & Marine Environment Protection Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran.The Task Force will conduct technical studies on Arvand dredging by holding regular meetings every two weeks and present its proposals to the Joint Meeting.

26 Aug 2018

Qatar to Boost Maritime Trade with Iran

Qatar is planning to increase maritime shipping lines between with Iran, reported Iran's official media quoting Hadi Haqshenas, deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) for Maritime Affairs.According to Fars News Agency, Hadi Haqshenas announced: "The Qataris who met the demand for their goods from Saudi Arabia and the UAE before (the siege and sanctions) have now requested increased maritime shipping between Iran and Qatar to bolster mutual trade."He added that his country is now witnessing an eye-catching growth in shipping lines between the Iranian and Qatari ports.Goods which are transited from Turkey and other adjacent countries to Qatar can also use the proper shipping lines at Bushehr port to carry goods to the Qatari ports…

12 May 2015

US Calls on Iran to Redirect Yemen-bound Cargo Ship

The United States called on Iran on Tuesday to send humanitarian relief for Yemen to a U.N. distribution center in Djibouti and criticized plans, reported by Iranian state media, for Iranian warships to escort a cargo vessel directly to Yemen. The Pentagon said it was watching the ship, the Iran Shahed, which Tehran says is carrying humanitarian supplies. Iran's state news agency IRNA said the vessel left on Monday for the Yemeni port Hodaida, which is held by Iran-allied Houthi fighters. "If the Iranians follow U.N. protocol, move the ship to a port in Djibouti, allow the humanitarian cargo they claim is on the ship to be distributed through U.N. channels, then they will have done the right thing in this case," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said. The White House said the U.N.

25 Dec 2017

Iran to Enhance Fleet Strength

Four giant new container vessels will join Iran's shipping fleet next year. With the arrival of these vessels, the rank of the national shipping fleet in the work will rise to 16 from 20 at present, chairman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping (IRISL) Mohammad Saeedi was quoted as saying. The report by the Fars news agency did not specify the type of the vessels but they are most likely Triple E ships which Iran has already ordered as part of a plan to expand its shipping fleet. Xinhua reported that South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will deliver 10 commercial ships to Iran in March 2018. Mohammad Saeedi said that the first delivery of the ordered ships will take place in March 2018, and the remaining nine vessels will be delivered to Iran every 45 days.

29 Jan 2018

Bodies of Three Sanchi Crew Members Identified

(Photo: China's Ministry of Transport)

The bodies of three of the crew of the Sanchi, the tanker involved in the worst oil ship disaster in decades off the coast of China, have been identified, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported Saturday. The three crew members identified are Milad Aravi, Majid Naqian and Mohammad Kavousi, the agency reported. The semi-official Fars news agency said that the three were Iranian. The Iranian government is trying to get the bodies of the three crew members back to Iran, according to ISNA.