Iran's IRGC captured an oil tanker Friday while US forces disabled three Iranian vessels attempting to enter Iranian ports, escalating maritime tensions.
4:04 PM
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Friday to have seized an oil tanker in a "special operation" in the Gulf of Oman, according to a statement carried by the Fars news agency. The vessel was identified as the Ocean Koi.
The Iranian seizure came hours after the US military said it had disabled three Iranian oil tankers attempting to enter Iranian ports in the same waterway. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that on Friday, US forces disabled the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda prior to both vessels entering an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, which it described as a violation of an ongoing US blockade.
According to CENTCOM, an F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks. The statement said the strikes prevented the non-compliant ships from entering Iran.
A third Iranian tanker, the Hasna, was disabled by US forces on May 6. An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) disabled the unladen oil tanker's rudder by firing several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun, CENTCOM said. The command stated that all three vessels were no longer transiting to Iran.
The incidents occurred just hours after the US and Iran traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports. The escalation threatened a fragile pause in fighting and ongoing efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire deal between the two nations.
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