Oil Tanker Held by Iran Heads Toward International Waters
An oil tanker held by Iran for over a year after being seized was sailing Thursday toward international waters, tracking data showed.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet travelled toward the Strait of Hormuz, where it was seized in April 2023 by Iran’s navy while carrying $50 million worth of oil from Kuwait for Chevron Corp.
Iran did not acknowledge the ship’s departure.
It came after an Iranian court on Thursday ordered the US government to pay over $6.7 billion in compensation over a Swedish company stopping its supply of special dressings and bandages for those afflicted by a rare skin disorder after Washington imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s government initially said it seized the Advantage Sweet because it hit another vessel, something not supported by any evidence.
Then Iranian officials linked the Advantage Sweet’s seizure to the court case that was decided Thursday.
A report by the state-run IRNA news agency described the $6.7 billion order as being filed on behalf of 300 plaintiffs, including family members of victims and those physically and emotionally damaged.
IRNA said about 20 patients died after the Swedish company’s decision.
Epidermolysis bullosa is a rare genetic condition that causes blisters all over the body and eyes. It can be incredibly painful and kill those afflicted.
The order comes as US judges have issued rulings that call for billions of dollars to be paid by Iran over attacks linked to Tehran, as well as those detained by Iran and used as pawns in negotiations between the countries — something Iran has responded to with competing lawsuits accusing the US of involvement in a 2017 ISIS group attack.
