France said Iran must release two Greek-flagged oil tankers seized in the Persian Gulf last week, as tensions between Tehran and world powers mount and nuclear talks stall.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards’ move appeared to be retaliation for Athens' assistance in the US seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker this week in the Mediterranean Sea.
The ships were detained by the group because of what it called “violations.”
Iran’s Friday raid marks the first major incident at sea in months as tensions remain high between the country and the West over its nuclear deal with world powers.
Robert Malley, US President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Iran, said last week that the prospects for a revival of the 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran are “tenuous at best.”
Negotiations have made little progress in the past two months, with one sticking point being Iran’s insistence that the IRGC is no longer classified by the US as a terrorist organization.
