Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Ocean Koi, Accuses of Disrupting Oil Exports

Tehran, May 8: The Iranian military announced on Friday that its navy has seized the oil tanker ‘Ocean Koi’. The vessel is accused of attempting to disrupt Iran’s oil exports by taking advantage of regional conditions.

In a statement, the military claimed that the tanker was carrying Iranian oil and had devised a “special operation” to harm Iran’s national interests. The navy redirected the tanker towards Iran’s southern coast and handed it over to the country’s judicial authorities.

In a separate statement, the military also reported that its navy targeted U.S. warships with cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones in recent hours. This action was taken in response to attacks on Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s territorial waters.

According to the military, U.S. warships were forced to change their course and vacate the area.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command stated that American forces damaged the M/T Sea Star-III and M/T Sevda on May 8, before the ships could enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. claims that the vessels violated its “blockade.”

Central Command also reported that a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS George H.W. Bush launched precision strikes on both tankers, rendering them inoperable.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned these nighttime attacks by the U.S., labeling them a violation of the ceasefire agreement established on April 8.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the U.S. of “reckless military action,” asserting that such actions are misguided when “diplomatic solutions are available.”

He stated on the social media platform X that the Iranian people “never bow to pressure” and that “diplomacy always suffers first.”

Zarif also claimed that Iran’s missile and launcher capabilities have now reached 120 percent, exceeding U.S. intelligence estimates.

Additionally, Iran accused the U.S. of attacking two Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and conducting airstrikes on southern cities and the capital, Tehran, with assistance from some regional countries.

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