TEHRAN - Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, on Thursday warned that any oil company unloading hundreds of thousands of barrels of seized Iranian oil sitting in a Greek tanker off the coast of Texas would be held accountable.

“We hereby declare that we would hold any oil company that sought to unload our crude from the vessel responsible and we also hold America responsible," Tangsiri said, according to Press TV. 

"The era of hit and run is over, and if they hit, they should expect to be struck back," Tangsiri added. 

The rear admiral's remarks came on the anniversary of Iran's confiscation of a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in 2019 after Britain had seized an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar. 

The confiscation came "in response to the maliciousness of the British, and when our ships went towards that tanker, the escort helicopter came above the tanker, which we warned that if it does not land, we will shoot it, which it complied, and after that an escorting warship also approached our waters, which we also warned, if it does not move away from the area, it will be targeted, and it also followed the order," he recalled.  "England has a lot of maliciousness and is more malicious than America."

On July 19, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed that at least 800,000 barrels of seized Iranian oil remains untouched in U.S. waters.

According to the paper, American firms are reluctant to buy the Iranian cargo, which is worth $56 million as they fear potential reprisals from Iran.

“Companies with any exposure whatsoever in the Persian Gulf are literally afraid to do it,” said a Houston-based energy executive involved in the matter, citing worries “that the Iranians would take retribution against them.”

Another executive at a shipping company involved in lightering in the Gulf of Mexico also flagged concerns over retaliation. “I don’t know if anybody’s going to touch it,” the executive said, according to the INSTAPUNDIT.COM.

More people concerned with the issue have also told the WSJ that they don’t think the oil will ever be sold off. 

The impasse over the seized oil illustrates the difficulties the U.S. government faces when it comes to enforcing sanctions against Iran.

All of the fuel is boarded on an oil tanker called Suez Rajan, which was seized by the U.S. in April. The vessel was seized near southern Africa and anchored off the coast of Texas in May, while the Greek owner was charged with sanctions evasion.

A few days the tanker was seized, Iran's Navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, which was carrying Kuwaiti oil for the second largest energy company in the U.S.

The oil tanker, named Advantage Sweet, had been involved in a maritime accident with an Iranian fishing craft, which resulted in the injury and missing of a number of its crew.

After the collision, the oil tanker attempted to flee the scene in serious breach of international laws and regulations, which require provision of medical treatment and supply of proper and sufficient medicine to seamen in case of sickness or injury.

The Iranian fishermen managed to issue a distress call long after recovering from the shock.

Washington has claimed to have hijacked oil tankers carrying Iranian oil several times, claiming that the ships had been flouting U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. usually auctions off Iran’s stolen assets, claiming it would use the money to pay “damages” to alleged victims of the Islamic Republic's actions.