In a significant development, the United States confirmed on Friday that it had seized a tanker load of Iranian oil in April, just before Iran seized two vessels in the Gulf region. This marks the first official statement by the Justice Department regarding the incident. The tanker, named Suez Rajan, was managed by a Greek company and was carrying around 980,000 barrels of crude oil. The oil was allegedly being sold by Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to China, which violated both U.S. and international sanctions.

The U.S. government had obtained a warrant earlier this year to seize the tanker and its cargo, as the sale was a clear violation of sanctions. On April 19, the vessel's owner, Suez Rajan Ltd., pleaded guilty to the sanctions violations and was fined $2.5 million. Following this, the Greek vessel operator, Empire Navigation, agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities and ordered the ship, which was located in Southeast Asia at the time, to transport the oil to the United States. However, authorities did not confirm the seizure of the cargo or the vessel sailing to the U.S.

Just days after the seizure of the Suez Rajan, Iran seized two tankers: the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet, as it was en route to the United States in the Gulf of Oman, and the Greek-owned Niovi, while it was traveling from Dubai to Fujairah. The United States accused Iran of “harassment” and "interference with navigational rights in regional and international waters," which further escalated tensions in the Gulf region.

This recent statement by the Justice Department highlights that the Suez Rajan case was the first successful disruption of a major crude shipment by the IRGC using U.S. criminal law. The participants in the scheme had attempted to disguise the origin of the oil through ship-to-ship transfers and by masking the locations and identities of the vessels involved. Moreover, the charterer of the vessel had used the U.S. financial system to facilitate the transportation of Iranian oil, which is a direct violation of Iran sanctions.

The U.S. government has now moved to formally take ownership of the cargo, which is worth tens of millions of dollars. It plans to sell the seized oil. This development is seen as a significant step in the United States' efforts to crack down on Iran's illicit oil trade and enforce sanctions. It also serves as a warning to other entities involved in such activities that they will face severe consequences.

The Justice Department's confirmation of the seizure comes after the U.S. military announced in early July that it had thwarted two more attempts by the Iranian navy to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oman. These incidents further highlight the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran in the Gulf region and the United States' determination to protect its interests and maintain security in the area.