Iran ‘forcibly seizes’ commercial vessel in Gulf
US Navy spokesperson says the vessel was possibly involved in smuggling
July 06, 2023
The US Navy claimed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards "forcibly seized" a commercial ship in international waters in the Gulf on Thursday.
In a statement, a US Navy spokesperson said the vessel was possibly involved in smuggling.
The US naval forces deployed maritime assets to closely monitor the situation, the US 5th Fleet spokesperson Commander Tim Hawkins said, adding that the navy decided against responding.
The statement did not identify the commercial ship.
"US forces remain vigilant and ready to protect navigational rights of lawful maritime traffic in the Middle East's critical waters," it said.
In recent years, Washington and Tehran have traded accusations over a series of incidents in the tense Gulf waterways that are vital to the global oil trade.
A day earlier, the US Navy said it had prevented Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
“On July 5, US forces prevented two attempted commercial tanker seizures by the Iranian Navy after the Iranians had opened fire in one of the incidents near the coast of Oman,” the US Navy said in a statement.
“The Iranian vessel departed the scene when US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) arrived on station. Additionally, the US Navy deployed surveillance assets, including MQ-9 Reaper and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft,” it added.
Approximately three hours later, the US Navy said it received a distress call from Bahamian-flagged oil tanker Richmond Voyager while the ship was more than 20 miles off the coast of Muscat, Oman, and transiting international waters toward the Arabian Sea.
Another Iranian naval vessel had closed within one mile of Richmond Voyager while hailing the commercial tanker to stop, the statement added.
McFaul directed course toward Richmond Voyager at maximum speed as the merchant tanker continued its transit. “Prior to McFaul’s arrival on scene, Iranian personnel fired multiple, long bursts from both small arms and crew-served weapons. Richmond Voyager sustained no casualties or significant damage. However, several rounds hit the ship’s hull near crew living spaces. The Iranian navy vessel departed when McFaul arrived.”
