The US Navy had pointed the finger at the Iranian Pasdarans, but Tehran confirmed the tanker, which flew the Marshall Islands flag, was seized in US territorial waters today Gulf of Oman Instead, it was “taken over” by the Iranian Navy rather than the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US Navy immediately requested the release of the ship.

Iranian state television has kidnapping detected about two hours after the US Navy reported the attack. According to the official Irna news agency, based on an army memo, the Iranian Navy seized the ship afterwards it had collided with an Iranian ship, resulting in the disappearance of two sailors and the injury of several others. According to the Mehr agency, the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel tried to flee after the collision, but was stopped and taken to Iranian waters.

There US Navy Fifth Fleetbased in Bahrain identified the affected vessel as Advantage Sweet. The ship manager, a turkish company, did not respond to requests for comment. Ownership of the ship appears to be one Chinese company.

The ship made a distress call at 1:15 p.m. while in international waters when Iran seized the ship, the US Navy reported. The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet reports that at least it is fifth merchant ship taken over from Tehran in the last 2 years and “monitors the situation”. The satellite data from MarineTraffic. com showed that the ship was in the Gulf of Oman north of the Omani capital Muscat on Thursday afternoon. It was only came from Kuwait and was destined for Houston, Texas.

This body of water is near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of Persian Gulf Bordering the Horn of Africa, is the object of attention of various countries in this period due to its strategic position for commercial and military traffic. Today’s hijacking is the latest in a string of hijackings and explosions in the region it passes through one fifth of all oil on the market.

“Iran’s actions violate international law and disrupt security and stability in the region. The Iranian government must release the tanker immediately – the statement continued – The continued interference by Iran in navigation rights in the waters in the region pose a threat to maritime security and the global economy. Iran has interfered in the last two years unauthorized way at least five merchant vessels in the Middle East,” the statement said.

A photo of Iranian Pasdaran Guard soldiers

The incidents began after then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the trade deal Iranian nuclear power with world powers, where Tehran had pledged to drastically limit uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The US Navy also blamed Iran for a series of attacks that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as a drone strike on an Israel-linked tanker in 2021 that killed two European crew members.

The Pasdaran, or so-called “Holy Guardians,” are an integral part of Iran’s theocracy, led by the Shia ayatollahs who have ruled the Islamic Republic of Iran under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for 43 years.

LaPresse

US Cost Guard ship in the Strait of Hormuz