Interesting.

If they’re just escorting French ships, what is he doing in charge of the EU task force and who are they escorting?

Grauniad:

French military now escorting French ships through Red Sea - naval commander

French naval forces are accompanying ships with French interests through the Red Sea region, the country’s top naval commander in the area said on Thursday, adding that Paris’ current mandate did not include striking Houthi rebels directly.….

Speaking to the media, Reuters reports R Adm Emmanuel Slaars, joint commander of French forces in the region, said France was working closely with the US-led Prosperity Guardian mission in the area by exchanging information and carrying out patrols, but said command of French forces remained entirely under Paris’ control.

“The French operation consists of on the one hand patrolling the maritime zones where the Houthis operate to stop them,” Slaars said. “These patrols are in coordination with the Prosperity Guardian operation,” he said.

“On the other hand, we regularly escort French-flagged ships or with French interests in the Red Sea. We accompany them all along their crossing.”

Slaars, who also heads the EU’s mission of nine countries operating in the strait of Hormuz, said there was always a need for more military assets in the region, although France did not intend to deploy more for now.

The Iranian Navy, (not IRGC Navy), has officially announced their seizure of the ST NIKOLAS tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

In the past, the majority, (if not all), vessel capture operations by Iran were conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

The ST NIKOLAS (9524475); is carrying Iraqi oil.

Formerly known as the SUEZ RAJAN; she was previously seized by the US government for having transported a million barrels of Iranian oil in connection to a US company.

The owners of NIKOLAS, Empire Navigation, say the vessel has 19 crew members: 18 Filipino and 1 Greek (presumably the captain) - though there are also reports one holds US nationality.

Feels like the 1980's again, doesn't it? (That's not necessarily a good thing).

This latest incident is different from the others - the BBC radio was saying that Iran has claimed its a legal issue - maybe someone hasn't been paying the Iranians for the oil they were transporting last time around?Iran has seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, state media reports.

Armed men wearing masks have reportedly boarded the vessel St Nikolas, close to the Omani port of Sohar, and ordered it to sail to an Iranian port. It is unclear why the tanker has been targeted. The St Nikolas was in transit between the Iraqi port of Basra and its intended destination in Turkey. UK Maritime Trade Operations said on Thursday it had received a report that four to five "unauthorised persons", reportedly wearing "military style black uniforms with black masks", had boarded the ship at 03:30 GMT. They added that communications with the vessel had been lost and that the authorities were investigating.

Iranian state media quoted the army as describing the vessel as being American. It is unclear why as the tanker is Greek-owned.

The company that manages it, Empire Navigation, said it was loaded with 145,000 tonnes of crude oil and was carrying 18 Filipinos and one Greek person as crew.

The St Nikolas was seized in April by the US under its previous name, the Suez Rajan, as part of sanctions enforcement against Iran. Suez Rajan Limited, which formerly chartered the boat, later pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate sanctions by covertly selling and transporting oil abroad on behalf of Iran.

This latest act appears to be separate from attacks carried out by Houthi rebels from Yemen in the Red Sea.

Lots of excited news readers on TV tonight. Looks like the proverbial is about to hit the fan somewhere.

More details here: the airstrikes on Houthi

I wonder if tankers in that region would begin to stay in Omani territorial waters as they head out of the Persian Gulf and into the Indian Ocean, making Iranian attempts at intercept possibly run afoul of the Omanis.

Yes, it's not some kind of "optimized" sailing protocol, but neither is getting pulled over by the Iranians. :p

I found this article to contain some useful information re navigation within the Straits of Hormuz area and the laws that pertain in general.


https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...0.2022.2096158

The seized ship was Greek owned, carrying Iraqi Oil, was seized outside Iranian territorial waters......and the local rags (papers) are claiming it to be American.

That seems a bit over the top.

Was the oil stolen from Iraq and was bound for the USA?

Where does Iran get the legal authority for that?

Where did America get the legal authority to seize the ship in the first place?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/...-state-media-2

In case you missed this link three posts before yours in the JB thread.

https://www.justice.gov/nsd/case/uni...-rajan-limited


You can view the various Court Documents at that linked source.

Try this one and read the document you will find there.

https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-12/2..._rajan_508.pdf

That should answer the question.

So both seizures in response to legal processes in the respective countries?

Seems so - a lawyers benefit by the sound of it

We seem to have gotten beyond the maritime/naval/military aspect of this, so I'd suggest taking the legalese discussion to Jet Blast.

Iran and Russia have reached an agreement over the procurement of Sukhoi Su-35SEs. Russia will now supply the 25 Su-35SEs originally meant for Egypt to Iran.

The IRIAF is expected to use these new Flankers to replace its ageing Tomcats.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8c8279c1e8.png
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US owned ship hit.
Yemen live updates: Houthi missile hits US-owned ship off Yemen coast - US officials - BBC News

Reference the above - Press Release b6 CENTCOM:

“On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey.

Earlier in the day, at approximately 2 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes. The missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported.”

Thinks might be about to get interesting….


According to U.S. Officials, an SRBM attack today, aimed at the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, northern Iraq, was launched directly by the IRGC from within Iran…...

According to U.S. Defense Officials, the 2 Navy SEALs who were lost overboard while raiding a fishing boat off tSomalia on Thursday were searching for weapons parts for Iranian SRBMs, including warheads, which, according to intelligence sources, are being provided by the IRGC.

Weapons parts were found aboard the vessel and confiscated and the boat was then sunk. The 12 crewmembers have been taken into custody.