ATHENS – The seizure of Greek ships in Iran “is unacceptable and condemnable,” said SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance party in a statement on Saturday.

International Law “does not legitimize such ‘retaliation’ measures that lie outside of international legitimacy, whatever the objections of the Iranian government may be,” added the main opposition party.

The party underlined that “the government should give absolute priority to ensuring the safety of the Greek seamen, mobilizing the European institutions in order to put pressure on Iran to release the ships.”

It also noted that the Greek government “must provide detailed explanations of the legal framework for the [recent] detention of the Russian ship [by Greece] and the transference of cargo to ships of American interest.”

Syriza continued to observe that the Greek government should also “tell all about the legal basis of the request for legal assistance from the US. It is recalled that the sanctions imposed by the latter on Iran after their withdrawal from the international nuclear disarmament agreement are not considered legal by the European Union and Greece.”

Furthermore, the Greek government should “clarify on what legal basis the ship remained detained at the time between the revocation of the initial decision to seize it by the Anti-Crime Revenue Authority and the decision of the Court of First Instance of Chalkida to satisfy the American request.”

It should also explain about “the environmental risks created by the transfer of oil to other ships in the area of ​​Karystos, and what measures have been taken to protect the marine environment,” Syriza added.