Iran Seizes US Oil Cargo Over EB Patients Lawsuit

An oil tanker carrying crude owned by the US was confiscated on Wednesday upon a warrant issued by an Iranian court after Iranian patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa filed a complaint against the US, whose sanctions have blocked the export of medications to Iran. 

The Iranian EB patients had lodged a complaint against the United States at the legal court of international relations (branch 55) of Tehran after the sanctions imposed by the Western states, above all the US, prevented the sale of special medical bandages and pharmaceuticals by a Swedish company to Iran and caused serious physical and mental damages to the patients suffering from EB, a group of rare, inherited skin disorders that cause the skin to become very fragile and blister easily.

After legal proceedings and efforts by the attorney of the case, the Iranian court issued a warrant for the confiscation of the American oil cargo carried by Advantage Sweet tanker in the Persian Gulf.

The oil tanker was seized afterwards.