Iran asked Greece on Tuesday to work together to settle a ship seizure situation without involving the US, after Iranian military detained two Greek tankers in the Gulf after an Iranian vessel was captured off the coast of Greece.
After Athens impounded the Iranian-flagged Pegas in April, Tehran seized the Greek ships on Friday. The Iranian oil cargo on the Pegasus was taken by the United States, which has placed strong sanctions on Iran.
Diplomats from the United States and Greece have urged Iran to release the Greek ships, their cargoes, and sailors promptly. ‘In the face of this illegitimate seizure,’ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, Washington stood by its NATO ally Greece.
‘Mr Blinken must realise that the period in which the United States unilaterally imposed its norms on the globe is over,’ Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said, describing Washington as ‘the world’s worst disruptor of free commerce.’
‘Unfortunately, the Greek government has proved that obeying third-party dictates is more important to them… However, we feel that Iran-Greece relations should stay positive,’ he told reporters in Tehran.
‘I recommend that the Greek government take the legal and judicial way in this matter without fanfare,’ he added, adding that the crew members of the captured Greek ships were in good health and in contact with their families through phone.
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