Iran condemns U.S. seizure of vessels carrying Iranian oil on high seas

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday strongly condemned the U.S. seizure of vessels carrying Iranian oil on the high seas.

"This is the outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas. Welcome to the return of the pirates -- only now, they operate with government-issued warrants, sail under official flags, and call their plunder 'law enforcement,'" said Baghaei on the social media platform X.

He said the United States must be held fully accountable for this "brazenly lawless behavior, which strikes at the heart of international law and international free trade, and threatens the basic principles of maritime security."

On Friday, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said on X that U.S. forces interdicted two tankers carrying roughly 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil each in the Indian Ocean, based on seizure warrants.

In her post, Pirro said, "We will continue to relentlessly investigate, track, and pursue these cases, using every lawful authority to hold sanctioned actors and those who support terrorism accountable, and to deny them any ability to profit from illicit maritime activity."

The action came after Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, where it has blocked passage for Israeli and U.S.-linked vessels since Feb. 28. The United States later imposed its own blockade after peace talks with Iran in Pakistan collapsed in mid-April.