US seizes Iranian oil tankers as talks over easing sanctions drag on
Vessels being held on suspicion of illegal shipments of crude The US has seized two tankers suspected of transporting Iranian oil as part of a sanctions-busting scheme involving forged documents and the repainting of a ship’s deck to conceal illegal shipments. Details of the seizure were contained in a federal civil case after the Greek-managed vessels discharged their cargo, worth more than $38 million, in Houston and the Bahamas at the direction of the US, AP reported. The incident comes as President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that would most likely entail the US lifting sanctions. Talks have been made more urgent by President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine and the US decision to retaliate by banning all Russian oil imports. The ban potentially removes from western markets more than 10 million daily barrels of oil. Some of that lost supply could be made up by Iran, which pumped an average 2.4 million barrels a day last year. Te...