Iran has been widely condemned after the suezmax tanker Advantage Sweet was seized by its forces in the Middle East Gulfen route to Texas from Kuwait. European navies patrolling the Strait of Hormuz criticised the seizure, calling ita “breach of international law”. Sources speculated that the incident was part of tit-for-tat blows between Washington and Tehran, with some seeing Iran’s seizure of the Advantage Sweet as a response to US crude seizures.