SEOUL, January 29. /TASS/. The United States looks like a modern-day "pirate nation" after it recently expropriated Iranian oil," North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement.

The statement was released following "Iran’s detention of the US tanker St Nikolas." According to the KCNA, Tehran stated that its actions were retaliatory, and "the days of the US stealing oil and running away," going unpunished after threatening Iran, were over. "This can be viewed as a natural punishment for the US, a modern-day pirate nation, which was founded and grew prosperous through aggression and robbery. It doesn’t hesitate to commit the heinous crime of looting the resources of other nations in broad daylight," the statement reads.

The North Korean news agency mentioned several incidents, including one about a tanker heading to Venezuela in 2020 and another where a tanker sold oil in the UAE’s waters in 2021. The KCNA also noted that in 2023, Washington "stole oil and food from Syria."

"The United States, who has always resorted to robbery and looting, was caught red-handed at the beginning of the year and covered itself in shame. It’s only natural that the brigandish United States was to face justice for its evil robbery," the statement added.

The Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy earlier announced the seizure of the St Nikolas tanker whose crew consisted of a Greek captain and 18 Filipino sailors. According to Greece’s Efimerida ton Sintakton newspaper, the tanker was previously used to transport Iranian oil, which is under international sanctions, but was later "seized and fined by the US.".