Iran denies ownership of oil tanker seized by Indonesia

Tehran has been accused of illegally transferring crude oil

An Indonesian patrol ship inspects the Iranian-flagged MT Arman 114 and Cameroon-flagged tanker MT S Tinos near Natuna. AP

Tehran on Friday denied ownership of the oil on an Iran-flagged supertanker seized by Indonesia last week, Iranian state media said on Friday.

Indonesia's coastguard said on July 11 it has seized the MT Arman 114, an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of involvement in the illegal transshipment of crude oil.

Iran's Oil Ministry did not identify the owner of the cargo.

“Published news linking the cargo of this ship to Iran have no validity and this is done with the aim of creating a negative atmosphere against our country,” the Oil Ministry said.

The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy said on Thursday that Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker currently anchored outside the port of Houston, US.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have recently increased.

On Monday, the US announced it would send additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, along with a warship, to the Middle East, in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region after Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial ships in recent months.

Since 2019, a series of attacks on ships in Gulf waters have taken place, increasing tension between the US and Iran.

About a fifth of the world's crude and oil products passes through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman.

In mid July, Indonesian authorities said they have seized an Iranian tanker and arrested its crew members for illegally transferring oil to another vessel in the country’s exclusive economic zone.