(Reuters) – Iran on Friday summoned the envoy of Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Tehran, to protest the U.S. seizure of Iranian oil from a Russian-operated ship near Greece, the foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by Iranian media.
“The Islamic republic expressed its deep concern over the U.S. government’s continued violation of international laws and international maritime conventions,” the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted the ministry as saying.
The ministry called for an immediate release of the ship and its cargo.
The Iranian-flagged ship, the Pegas, was among five vesselsdesignated by Washington on Feb. 22 – two days before Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine – for sanctions against Promsvyazbank, abank viewed as critical to Russia’s defence sector.
(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; editing by John Stonestreet)
