The Iranian Ports and Maritime Authority said on Thursday that the oil tanker “Richmond Voyager”, flying the flag of the Bahamas, had previously collided with an Iranian ship, had changed course, disappeared from sight, and entered Oman’s territorial waters without heeding Iranian warnings.
According to the Arabic-language Iranian news agency “IRNA”, the oil tanker collided with an Iranian ship while crossing the Gulf of Oman, whose owner demanded the immediate seizure of the violating tanker.
IRNA added that after the court order was issued, the confiscation of the violating oil tanker was put on the agenda.
But the US Central Command said on Wednesday that US forces prevented “two attempts to seize commercial tankers by the Iranian navy after the Iranians opened fire on a commercial boat near the coast of Oman. These two incidents occurred in international waters.”
Iran said that the violating oil tanker was identified on Wednesday morning, but it ignored the warnings of the Iranian naval forces ship, “and entered the territorial waters of the Sultanate of Oman, and the friendly Sultanate of Oman was informed.”
According to IRNA, the Iranian Ports and Maritime Authority said that the case is still open, “and the pursuit and arrest of this oil tanker continues.”
The United States said in May it increased the rotations of ships and aircraft patrolling the Strait of Hormuz – a waterway separating Iran and Oman – with its partners, following a steady increase in seizures of commercial vessels by Iran.
According to the US statement, “Since 2021, Iran has harassed, attacked, or seized approximately 20 commercial vessels flying an international flag.”
On Thursday, Al-Arabiya channel quoted the US Navy as saying that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had seized a commercial ship – which may be involved in smuggling activities – in international waters in the Gulf, adding that its forces monitored the situation and did not interfere.
(Prepared by: Jehan Laghmari, Edited by: Shaima Hefzy, Contact zawya.arabic@lseg.com)
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2023-07-06 17:47:41
