Tehran has called on Athens to work together without the involvement of the US to resolve the impasse created after the seizure by Iran of two Greek-owned oil tankers as retribution for Greece seizing Iranian oil at the behest of the US.

Iran urged Greece to stop taking orders from Washington on what to do, according to Reuter’s.

Tehran launched a military operation against two oil Greek tankers after Athens had previously immobilised tankers under the Iranian flag, and then the US seized the oil cargo it was carrying, as part of US sanctions imposed on Tehran.

American and Greek diplomats called on Iran to immediately release the Greek tankers. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that Washington supports Greece “in the face of this unjustified arrest”.

“Mr. Blinken must realize that the time has come for the United States to impose its own rules on the world has expired,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told Reuters, calling Washington “the biggest disruptive factor to free trade in the world”.

“Unfortunately, the Greek government has shown that taking orders from a third party is more important to it … But we believe that relations between Iran and Greece must remain in good faith,” the spokesman told reporters.

“I advise the Greek government to take the legal and judicial route for this issue without fanfare,” he said, adding that the health condition of the crew members of the Greek ships is good and that they are in telephone communication with their families.

A video released by Iranian authorities shows the moment the Guards of the Revolution in Iran stormed the Greek tankers, in the Persian Gulf.

‼????Iranian state media released video footagefrom the seizure of Greek oil tankers in the waters of the Persian Gulf by the Iranian Navy‼ pic.twitter.com/tqHUmXIg9o

— AZ OSINT (@AZmilitary1) May 30, 2022