LONDON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Four ships containing Iranian fuel cargoes covered by a U.S. warrant for seizure are sailing to the United States after talks between the U.S. government and the vessel owners, a U.S. government source and a shipping source said on Thursday.
U.S. prosecutors filed a lawsuit in July to seize the gasoline aboard the four tankers that Iran was trying to ship to Venezuela. The lawsuit was the latest move in efforts by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to increase economic pressure on Iran and Venezuela.
Iranian action against another ship on Wednesday was in retaliation against the Greek owner of some of the vessels carrying the Iranian cargoes to the United States, the government source and two shipping sources said.
The United States military on Wednesday said that Iranian forces had boarded a civilian vessel in international waters in the Gulf.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul in London and Marianna Parraga in Mexico City; Editing by Simon Webb and Daniel Wallis)
