Iran Seizes Ship, Ramps Up Enrichment as Gulf Tensions Mount

Revolutionary Guard says ship broke environmental rules
Tensions in region rise in final days of Trump’s presidency

The South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Gulf on Jan. 4.Photographer: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

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By Verity Ratcliffe, Golnar Motevalli, and Patrick Sykes

January 4, 2021 at 12:26 PM UTC

Updated on

January 5, 2021 at 9:13 AM UTC

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Iran seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and announced it would increase its nuclear activities, as tensions in the region mount in the final days of Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it detained the vessel Hankuk Chemi at 10 a.m. local time Monday “due to repeated violations of marine environmental laws.”