HANOI: Vietnam was seeking more information on Thursday about a Vietnamese oil tanker that was seized at gunpoint last month by Iranian soldiers in the Gulf of Oman, while vowing to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the ship’s crew members.
Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard troops on Oct. 24 took control of the MV Southys, a vessel that analysts suspect of trying to transfer sanctioned Iranian crude oil to Asia. US forces had monitored the seizure but ultimately did not take action as the vessel sailed into Iranian waters.
The episode was the latest provocation in Mideast waters as tensions escalate between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Vietnamese officials “continue to closely follow the developments and work closely with Iranian authorities to resolve this issue in accordance with the law and enact necessary measures to safeguard the rights and interests of Vietnamese nationals,” Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson in Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday.
The captain of the MV Southys told the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran that all 26 crew members were being treated well and were in “normal health,” Hang told reporters at a scheduled briefing.
Iran celebrated its capture of the vessel in dramatic footage aired on state television Wednesday, the day before the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran.
Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel still off Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas on Tuesday. A satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. also showed the vessel off Bandar Abbas in recent days.
Vietnam seeks information from Iran about seized oil tanker
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Vietnam seeks information from Iran about seized oil tanker
- The vessel’s seizure is the latest provocation in Mideast waters as tensions escalate between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear program
Iraq says no sign gas supplies from Iran to resume soon
- Iranian gas supplies were halted due to a drop in temperature and Tehran’s need for gas, the spokesperson said
- Iraq reported the halt in Iranian gas supply in December
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s electricity ministry said on Saturday there were no signs that Iranian gas supplies would resume to the country soon.
Iranian gas supplies were halted due to a drop in temperature and Tehran’s need for gas, the Iraqi ministry’s spokesperson said in remarks to the press, citing a Telegram message from Iran.
Iraq reported the halt in Iranian gas supply in December, owing to the shutdown of some generating units and load shedding at others.
The electricity ministry said 4,000 to 4,500 megawatts of power had been lost from the electrical system as a result.
Tehran supplies between a third and 40 percent of Iraq’s gas and power needs.
Iraq’s power demand during winter peak hours reaches about 48,000 MW, while domestic generation stands at roughly 27,000 MW, forcing the country to rely on imports to bridge the gap, electricity officials have said previously.
