Greece accused Iran of “piracy” after Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards said they seized two Greek-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf Friday.
“These actions are tantamount to acts of piracy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, warning Greek citizens to avoid travelling to Iran.
Athens said Iranian navy helicopters had landed gunmen on the two tankers earlier on Friday.
One of them, the Delta Poseidon, was sailing in international waters at the time, the ministry said.
A spokeswoman at the Athens-based company Polembros identified the second tanker as the Prudent Warrior.
“The ship has been seized by the Iranian authorities. We have no communication with them at this time”
The Greek foreign ministry said the second tanker was near the Iranian coast when seized.
The ministry said nine Greeks were among the crews of both vessels, but did not give a number of other sailors on board.
Athens has informed the European Union and the International Maritime Organisation of the incident, the ministry said.
Source: AFP