Facts

• Iran seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, claiming the vessel violated Iranian waters as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to escalate.^[1]
• This is the second such capture in recent days by Tehran. The US Navy said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp surrounded the tanker and forced it to reverse course and head toward Iranian territorial waters off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran; the Navy published pictures of a dozen Guard vessels surrounding the tanker.^[2]
• The US Navy said Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability, saying that "Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are unwarranted, irresponsible, and a present threat to maritime security and the global economy."^[3]
• Iran's state-run news confirmed that the Revolutionary Guard seized a ship. According to a report by Iran's judiciary's Mizan news agency, the Tehran prosecutor stated that the seizure was the result of a court order following the plaintiff's complaint.^[4]
• Just days before Tehran seized the two tankers in the Straight of Hormuz, Greece issued a series of warnings to ship-owners to avoid sailing close to Iranian waters, amid heightened tensions in the region. Following the initial warning by Greece's Shipping Ministry, maritime security company Ambrey reported that it "observed an unusually high number of Greek-flagged vessels departing from the Gulf region."^[5]
• The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that separates Iran from the Gulf Arab states, is the world's most important oil shipping lane, with roughly a third of all seaborne crude cargoes having to pass through.^[6]