US accuses Iran of trying to seize two oil tankers

According to Washington, the US Navy prevented the hijacking of two oil tankers by the Iranian Navy.

The US has accused Iran’s navy of attempting to seize two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The US Navy said on Wednesday that one of the ships had been fired upon. US forces prevent hijacking of Iranian naval tankers

According to US sources, an Iranian naval vessel first approached the oil tanker on Wednesday night, and moved again when a US naval vessel arrived. About three hours later, another oil tanker alerted the US Navy: an Iranian naval vessel approached the tanker and told it to stop. The Iranians opened fire before the US destroyer arrived, and several bullets hit the ship’s hull. Both incidents took place in international waters.

There have been repeated incidents involving tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf in the past. In particular, the approximately 55-kilometer-wide Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman is considered the most important shipping route for global oil exports. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards detained an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in early May. Iran has harassed nearly 20 internationally-flagged merchant ships since 2021, the US Navy said on Wednesday.

(APA)