Iran refutes US announcement of seizing Iranian oil tankers as “lie”

Tehran, Aug 16 (IANS) The US announcement of seizing four Iranian oil tankers is a “lie,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

“Neither the ships nor the flag was Iranian. The whole story is a lie,” Rouhani was quoted by semi official news agency ISNA as stating.

Washington’s claim that about 1.116 million barrels of Iran’s petroleum were seized was all about “escaping from the humiliation” of its failure in an anti-Iran resolution at the UN Security Council, the Iranian president said during a briefing session of the Iranian COVID-19 Task Force on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Friday, the UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution proposed by the United States which asks for extending the current arms embargo against Iran that is set to expire on October 18.

Shortly afterwards, the US Department of Justice announced the confiscation of Iranian fuel from four tankers bound for Venezuela.

–IANS

rt/