Iran condemns U.S. for ‘bragging about stealing’ oil

TEHRAN- Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, denounced on Friday a U.S. decision to sell an oil shipment allegedly seized from Iran, calling it an act of theft.

Iran rejects claims about seizure of its tankers by U.S.

TEHRAN - Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojat Soltani has rejected claims that the United States has seized Iranian tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela.

By Payman Yazdani, Morteza Rahmani

Iran-Venezuela alliance a glorious example for nations to follow: American analyst

TEHRAN – An American columnist and political author says the Iran-Venezuela alliance against the US is a glorious model for other nations to stand against Washington's hegemonic policies.

Ayatollah Khamenei praises crew of tankers to Venezuela

TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has praised crew of the Iranian tankers that shipped fuel to Venezuela.

By Payman Yazdani

Tehran signals its oil trade 'legitimate': Japanese expert

TEHRAN– Sachi Sakanashi believes that message of Iran's move to send oil tankers to Venezuela is that Tehran's oil trade is legitimate and the country is ready to send its oil even across the Atlantic Ocean when there is a customer.

Third Iranian tanker reaches Venezuelan waters

TEHRAN — The third cargo of an Iranian tanker flotilla carrying fuel for Venezuela on Tuesday reached the nation’s exclusive economic zone as the previous two were discharging at state run PDVSA’s ports, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.

Photo: Hamsharionline

Venezuelans welcome Iranian tanker

Venezuelans celebrated on Monday as the first of five Iranian gasoline tankers arrived in the country in defiance of U.S. threats. In this photo, a Venezuelan employee is kissing the Iranian flag.

Iranian tankers’ arrival in Venezuelan waters marks end to unipolar system: Zarif advisor

TEHRAN - Mehdi Sanaei, a top advisor to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Tuesday that arrival of Iranian oil tankers in the Venezuelan waters in the Caribbean is an end to a unipolar system.

Envoy lauds U.S. abstention from disrupting Iranian tankers

TEHRAN — Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojatollah Soltani says the U.S. abstention form aggression against Iranian tankers showed that there’s still wisdom in the U.S. establishment.

Maduro says tankers symbolize Iran-Venezuela ‘courage and freedom’

TEHRAN – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has hailed the arrival of Iranian tankers to Venezuela amid U.S. threats.

By Payman Yazdani

Tehran's political, diplomatic move sends clear signal to world: Entessar

TEHRAN– Prof. Entessar says that Tehran's political and diplomatic moves sent a clear and unambiguous signal that maritime piracy is not only a challenge to the international legal order but it also threatens Iran's commercial and political rights as a sovereign nation-state.

In defiance of U.S. threats, first Iranian oil tanker reaches Venezuelan waters

In defiance of threats by Washington, the first of five Iranian oil tankers heading to Venezuela entered the country's waters.

Iranian oil tanker’s distress call for help in Red Sea went unnoticed: PMO

TEHRAN – The Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) has announced in a statement posted on its official website that none of the regional maritime bodies responded to calls for help by the Iranian oil tanker Sabiti when it came under missile attack off the Saudi coast in the Red Sea on Friday morning.

Iranian security official: Evil acts in international waterways won’t go unanswered

TEHRAN – Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has condemned the Friday morning attack on Iran’s SABITI oil tanker in the Red Sea and voiced Tehran’s firm will to give a crushing response to the evil act in international waterways.

Government spokesman: Iran starts probe into oil tanker blast carefully, patiently

TEHRAN - Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Saturday that Tehran has started careful investigation into two explosions on its oil tanker in the Red Sea, refraining from any precipitancy.

Russia: So soon for comment on causes of explosions in Iranian oil tanker

TEHRAN – The director of the Asian Bureau of the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that necessary investigations about causes of explosions in an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea are underway, suggesting it is necessary to refrain from immediate comments.

NITC dismisses reports missiles fired at Iranian oil tanker from S. Arabia

TEHRAN – National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) has dismissed media reports that an Iranian oil tanker navigating in the Red Sea was hit by missiles fired from Saudi Arabia, IRNA reported.

U.S. navy says aware of attack on Iranian oil tanker 

The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is aware of media reports about an Iranian tanker blast but has no further information so far, a spokesman said on Friday.

Iranian oil tanker hit by two blasts in Red Sea

TEHRAN - In what Tehran calls a "dangerous adventure", two separate explosions, possibly caused by missile attacks, hit an Iranian oil tanker operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) near the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

Release of UK-flagged oil tanker finalized: Tehran

TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Wednesday that the procedure to release a detained British-flagged oil tanker has been finalized with cooperation of Iranian Foreign Ministry, Judiciary and Ports and Maritime Organization.

Tehran says to release detained UK-flagged tanker

TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said that the UK-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which was detained by Iran for violating international maritime rules, will soon be released.

Iran seizes Philippine ship for fuel smuggling 

TEHRAN – Iranian forces have seized a Philippine tanker in the Persian Gulf and taken its crew into custody on charges of smuggling fuel.

Iranian ship unloads oil at Syrian port: report 

TEHRAN – Sources have said that Iranian tanker Adrian Darya 1 has unloaded its oil at a port in Syria, Tasnim quoted the Middle East Eye as reporting on Saturday.

Iran frees 7 crew members of seized British tanker

TEHRAN – Iran has released seven crew members of British oil tanker Stena Impero detained in July in the Persian Gulf for violating international maritime law.

U.S. blacklists Iran oil tanker in Mediterranean

TEHRAN - The United States on Friday blacklisted the Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya following repeated warnings over its valuable oil cargo.

Resistance is the only way to confront bullying, says Kharrazi

TEHRAN – Kamal Kharrazi, chief of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, has said the only way to stand up to the enemies’ bullying is resistance.

Renaming supertanker not aimed to bypass U.S. sanctions: envoy

TEHRAN – Iranian Ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad has said the renaming of the Iranian oil tanker, Grace 1, has no relations with circumventing the U.S. sanctions.

By staff and agency

U.S. issues warrant to seize Iranian oil tanker Grace 1

The United States has issued a warrant for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker captured by British Royal Marines in Gibraltar last month, according to Aljazeera.

Britain knows Iran’s situation is different from the past: Larijani

TEHRAN - Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said on Saturday that the British are well aware that Iran’s situation is different from the past.

* By Mohammad Ghaderi

The message behind the release of Iranian oil tanker 

TEHRAN - The Gibraltar court ordered the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 to be released. The tanker was seized by the British Royal Marines about a month ago.