May 27 (Reuters) – Iran on Friday summoned the envoy of Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Tehran, to protest against the U.S. seizure of Iranian oil from a Russian-operated ship near Greece, the foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by Iranian media.

The ministry called for the immediate release of the ship and its cargo, the IRNA state news agency quoted it as saying.

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on what it described as a Russian-backed oil smuggling and money laundering network for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on the oil seizure.

“The Islamic Republic expressed its deep concern over the U.S. government’s continued violation of international laws and international maritime conventions,” IRNA and other media quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

A source at Greece’s shipping ministry told Reuters on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice had “informed Greece that the cargo on the vessel is Iranian oil”.

It was unclear whether the cargo was impounded because it was Iranian oil or due to the sanctions on the tanker over its Russian links. Iran and Russia face separate U.S. sanctions.

Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday that the U.S. plans to send the cargo to the United States aboard another vessel.

The Iranian-flagged ship, the Pegas, was among five vessels designated by Washington on Feb. 22 – two days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – for sanctions against Promsvyazbank, a bank viewed as critical to Russia’s defence sector.

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