An analysis of the seizure of Greek and Iranian oil tankers from the perspective of international law of the seas

Seyfi, Behzad

doi:10.22113/jmst.2023.384787.2512

An analysis of the seizure of Greek and Iranian oil tankers from the perspective of international law of the seas

Document Type : Original Manuscript

Author

Behzad Seyfi

Faculty of Management and Maritime Commissioner, Imam Khomeini University of Marine Sciences, Nowshahr, Iran.

10.22113/jmst.2023.384787.2512

Abstract

The seizure of ships in different maritime territories is one of the basic challenges of the international law of the seas, which leads to legal disputes between flag and coastal states and sometimes third states. On Tuesday, April 19, 2022, the Greek Coast Guard seized the Russian tanker Pegas/Lana, which was carrying an Iranian oil cargo, in the waters of the Greek island of Oia, due to the violation of US and European Union sanctions against Russia in connection with the attack on Ukraine, and the Iranian oil cargo at the request of American judicial authorities. This action was met with protest by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and despite diplomatic efforts to resolve the disputes peacefully, two Greek oil tankers were seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with a court order and a complaint from the owner of the oil tanker Lana. Therefore, the purpose of this brief is to examine these seizures from the perspective of the international law of the seas, and to answer the question, whether the actions of Greece and Iran are legitimate or not from the perspective of the international law of the seas? The research method of this article is descriptive and analytical, and the method of collecting library information is documentary. The findings of the research indicate that the seizure of Iran's oil cargo by Greece and the United States is in contradiction with the peaceful use of the seas and freedom of navigation. Regarding Iran's actions, considering that according to the statements of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the location of the seizure of these two oil tankers was in the monitoring zone and the territorial sea of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran has jurisdiction and according to the verdict issued by the judicial authorities due to maritime violations. He has seized Greek oil tankers.

Keywords

seizure

oil tanker

Greece

Iran

international law of the seas

20.1001.1.20088965.1402.22.2.6.2

Subjects

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