Iran and the United States are facing each other again. Seizure of oil tankers has sparked tension between the two countries. Iran's navy Seized an oil Tanker bound for the United States from the Gulf of Oman last Thursday. Since then, tensions between the two countries have increased.

In a video broadcast on Iran's state-run television last Friday, the country's navy commandos are seen carrying out operations with helicopters. They seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker named 'Advantage Sweet'.

The tanker seized by Iran was operated from Türkiye. It is owned by China. Tankers enter the Gulf of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz. It was carrying oil from Kuwait to the United States for the US energy company Chevron.

Iran said the tanker, carrying crude oil, rammed an Iranian vessel before it was seized. Several crew members of the boat fell and went missing. Other crew members were injured. After this incident, the tanker quickly fled from the spot. Message given on radio but not heard. The tanker was impounded eight hours later.

Mostafa Tajodini, an Iranian naval officer who led the operation, told state TV, "There were repeated messages to stop the tanker for investigation." But we did not get any cooperation.

The tanker belongs to a Turkish company named Advantage Tanker. The manager of the tanker said there were 24 crew members in the seized tanker. They are Indian citizens.

The Middle East-based US military's Fifth Fleet has criticized the seizure of oil tankers, saying Iran's move is a violation of international law. It also called on Tehran to release the tanker immediately.

"Iran has been seizing one ship after another and interfering with freedom of navigation in territorial waters," the US Navy said in a statement. Their actions are a threat to maritime security and the global economy.

At the same time, on behalf of the US fleet, Iran has seized at least five commercial ships in the last two years.

Jute instead of bricks

According to a Reuters report last Friday, the United States recently seized an oil tanker under the unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran. In response to this, Iran seized the tanker bound for the United States.

The report also says that Iran is related to the tanker seized by the United States. The Suez Raja tanker is also a Marshall Islands flag carrier. Its manager was a Greek. The tanker was last located off the southern coast of Africa. The US seized the tanker days before Iran seized the Advantage Suite.

There are other examples of US and Iran seizing each other's tanks. Earlier last year, the US tried to seize an Iranian cargo ship off the coast of Greece. Because of this incident, Tehran seized two oil tankers with the flag of Greece. The two tankers were detained by Iran for several months. In this incident, the Supreme Court of Greece ordered the cargo ship to be sent back to Iran. Then Iran also released two tankers.

The US has imposed the toughest sanctions ever on Iran. One of the main targets of these sanctions is Iran's export of crude oil.

In 2015, some of the world's superpowers, including the United States, made an agreement with Iran. Under this agreement, some sanctions on Iran began to be lifted on Iran's nuclear weapons program. However, after coming to power, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on Iran.

Efforts have been made to reactivate this agreement. However, the deadlock did not end. The aim of the deal was to rein in Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions imposed by Western countries, including the United States, on Iran. Since the United States unilaterally pulled out of the deal and reimposed new sanctions, Iran has been trying to bypass those sanctions and increase its oil exports. This is the objection of the United States.

Last Thursday, 12 US senators urged US President Joe Biden to change some of the country's Treasury Department policies to make it easier to seize oil tankers in Iran. Analysts believe that the US-Iranian tension will increase with the call of the senators