Tensions in the Middle East have escalated with the Iranian navy’s seizure of a U.S.-liked oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said on Thursday that the country's naval forces captured the St Nikolas oil tanker in waters of the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning in accordance with a court order, accusing the vessel of stealing Iranian oil and providing it to the U.S. this year.

Washington has condemned the seizure and demanded that Tehran immediately release the ship and its crew.

According to Reuters, John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson at the White House, said that the Iranian government has no justifiable reason to seize the vessel, calling for an immediate release.

With the Red Sea already dangerous due to repeated attacks on commercial ships by Houthi rebels, the seizure close to the Strait of Hormuz is likely to ratchet up tensions in the region.

The Strait, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is the world's most important oil chokepoint because of the large volumes of oil that flow through the strait.