Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran condemns the US for legalizing piracy after the seizure of the Iranian oil tankers Majestic X and Tifani in the Indian Ocean.

"This is the outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas. Welcome to the return of the pirates -- only now, they operate with government-issued warrants, sail under official flags, and call their plunder 'law enforcement,'" said Baghaei on X.

He said the US must be held fully accountable for this "brazenly lawless behavior, which strikes at the heart of international law and international free trade, and threatens the basic principles of maritime security."