TEHRAN – Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiyani has criticized the U.S. decision to offload Iranian oil cargo seized by Washington, waning that Tehran won’t let the move go unanswered. 

“This move is a robbery on the part of the U.S. And it is by no means acceptable in the world. If such a move takes place, we will definitely respond in kind. And we can even take a larger action but we have limited our response to what we’re discussing,” Ashtiyani said, according to IRIB News.

The defense minister said Iran expects the U.S. to refrain from seizing Iranian oil. “We are stationed in a strategic and very important place. Energy shipping lines pass through this region. And we are dominating these lines. Therefore, if we decide to broaden the scope of countering the U.S., we will have such an option at our disposal,” Ashtiyani continued.

The warning comes after the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed for the first time earlier this month that the U.S. had seized cargo containing nearly one million barrels of Iranian oil. 

It said the oil is “the subject of a civil forfeiture action” after the shipping company operating the oil-carrying vessel, Suez Rajan Limited, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions, according to Al Jazeera. 

“This is the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil and comes in concert with a successful seizure of over 980,000 barrels of contraband crude oil,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

Iran has long opposed the U.S. seizing Iranian oil under the pretext of violating the unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington. 

Tensions over the seizure of Iranian oil comes against a backdrop of diplomatic talks between Tehran and Washington over a range of issues, including prisoner swap.