On Tuesday, Iran Revolutionary Guards stormed the South Korean tanker and forced it to change its course and head to Iran, the vessel's owner said, according to AFP.
On Monday, a South Korean-flagged chemical tanker has been seized in the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces, the latest in a string of maritime incidents raising tensions in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, according to Arab news.
On its part, South Korea called on Iran to immediately release the oil tanker.
“The Ministry of Defense immediately sent the Cheonghai unit to waters near the Strait of Hormuz shortly after receiving a report about Iran’s seizure of a merchant ship,” the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Moreover, yesterday the Iranian government announced that it had begun enriching uranium up to 20% purity at its underground Fordo nuclear facility.
The move is considered a significant breach of the nuclear agreement signed with world powers in 2015.
Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that the enriched uranium can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear bombs. Weapons-grade uranium is 90% pure.
Iran has suspended a number of commitments since the US abandoned the nuclear deal and reinstated sanctions.
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