Iranian state media reported that their forces seized a third foreign oil tanker in the Gulf that they alleged was smuggling fuel. The seven crew members on board have been detained.
The vessel was taken on Wednesday, reportedly carrying 700,000 litres of oil bound for Arab states. The tanker is reported to be an Iraqi vessel and was seized in a northern part of the Strait of Hormuz.
Global Catholic seafarers' charity, Apostleship of the Sea, is calling for seafarers' rights to be respected as tensions escalate between Tehran and Washington.
John Green, Director of Development for the charity said: "We are hugely concerned for the welfare of the crew of this ship and also the crew of the Stena Impero who are still detained. The effects of this latest seizure will not only be on this crew but also on their wives and children."
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important waterways, on which a combustible standoff has played out since early July, when a British warship intercepted an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar.
According to Iranian state media, upon capture, the vessel was taken to Bushehr Port in south-west Iran and its fuel handed over to the authorities.
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