By Arsalan Shahla

Jun 4, 2022 (Bloomberg) –Iran’s supreme leader said his country’s seizure of two Greek oil tankers in Persian Gulf waters last month was a direct response to the US and Greece’s “robbery” of Iranian crude.

“Our oil was stolen off the Greek coasts,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Saturday. “We took back what was stolen from us. Who’s the thief?”

Iranian authorities had previously said the ships, carrying about 1 million barrels of oil each, were detained over committing undisclosed “violations”.

The move came two days after Greek authorities, in coordination with US counterparts, stopped an Iranian-flagged tanker and confiscated its cargo on May 25.

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