Iran seizes oil tanker and enriches uranium amid mounting US tensions

A seized South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf (Tasnim news agency/AP)

Iran began enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in the Middle East between Tehran and the West.

The announcement of enrichment at Fordo came as fears rose that Tehran had seized the MT Hankuk Chemi.