US Fifth Fleet spokesman Timothy Hawkins said that Iran is the only country in the region that has targeted oil tankers. Pointing out that Iranian actions are dangerous and threaten international navigation.
Timothy Hawkins added, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”: “We will continue to work with our partners to confront Iranian provocations.”
The US official explained that Iran was violating international law by seizing oil tankers. Pointing out that it is an act that contradicts the stability and security of Bahrain, and is necessary for international trade.
The US Navy announced earlier today, Wednesday, that Iran had seized an oil tanker flying the Panamanian flag in the Strait of Hormuz, in the second such incident by Tehran in recent days.
The US Navy released footage of guard ships surrounding the tanker.
“We join the international community in calling on the Iranian government and Iranian navy to immediately release the ship and its crew,” said Assistant State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
The spokesman added to the journalists that “Iran’s intimidation of ships and its interference with the right of navigation in regional and international waters are contrary to international law and lead to disruption of regional stability and security.”
For its part, the official Iranian Tasnim news agency said, “The naval forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have seized a violating foreign oil tanker in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” without mentioning the source.
And at the end of last month, the US Navy said that Iran had seized an oil tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands in the Gulf of Oman.
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2023-05-03 19:46:52
