Iran Demands Indonesia’s Explanation for Tanker Seizure
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran is waiting for an explanation from the Indonesian government for the capture of an Iranian oil tanker.
In remarks at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran is waiting for the government of Indonesia to provide more information about an Iranian oil tanker seized in Indonesian waters.
“We have received some contradictory information. We are waiting for its reason, and will make it public if we achieve a result,” the spokesperson added.
He refused to comment about any connection between the capture of the Iranian ship and the recent seizure of a South Korean vessel by Iran, which he described as a technical issue.
Indonesia said its coast guard seized the Iranian-flagged MT Horse and the Panamanian-flagged MT Freya vessels over suspected illegal oil transfer in the country’s waters on Sunday.
Indonesia’s coast guard spokesman claimed the two tankers concealed their identity by not showing their national flags, turning off automatic identification systems and did not respond to a radio call.