Has Iran released Greek tanker St. Nikolas, seized in 2024?

Iran appears to have released the St. Nikolas, a Greek-owned Suezmax tanker it seized in January 2024, vessel monitoring service Tanker Trackers said on Monday.

Iran seized the tanker, which was carrying Iraqi crude destined for Turkey, in retaliation for the 2023 US confiscation of the same vessel and its oil, Iranian state media reported at the time.

The US seizure of St. Nikolas was part of a sanctions enforcement operation. At the time, the ship was sailing under a different name, Suez Rajan. Iran had warned the US that its move would, "not go unanswered."

Reuters could not immediately contact the ship owner. Its manager did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Lisa Baertlein, Arathy Somasekhar and Marianna Parraga; Editing by Nia Williams and Lisa Shumaker)