Iran seizes US-sanctioned oil tanker in Sea of Oman
Iran said on Friday it redirected a US-sanctioned oil tanker carrying Iranian oil back to its shores, though it was unclear from its statement why it would have returned it.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran’s navy, through a specially planned operation in the Sea of Oman, seized the offending tanker Ocean Koi,’ the army said in a statement, adding that the oil belonged to the ‘Islamic republic’.
It said the ship was redirected to Iran’s southern shores after it sought ‘to damage and disrupt Iran’s oil exports,’ without elaborating.
It comes after US and Iranian forces clashed in the Gulf and the United Arab Emirates came under renewed attack, in a flare-up that threatened to torpedo the ceasefire.
The escalation came as Washington awaited Tehran’s response to a US proposal to end the war, which began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday three US Navy destroyers were attacked as they moved through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows that Iran has all but closed since the conflict began.
‘Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He later told reporters the ceasefire remained in effect and played down the exchange.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Stream, April 26
‘They trifled with us today. We blew them away,’ Trump said in Washington.
The Islamic Republic, however, accused the US of breaching the ceasefire, an agreement that has been punctuated by intermittent clashes since it was announced on April 7.
Iran’s top joint military command said US forces had targeted an Iranian oil tanker and another ship, and carried out air attacks on civilian areas on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby coastal areas.
It said Iranian forces responded by attacking US military vessels east of the strait and south of the port of Chabahar.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the Iranian strikes inflicted ‘significant damage,’ but US Central Command said none of its assets were hit.
Iranian state media later signalled a de-escalation, with Press TV reporting that, after several hours of exchanges, ‘the situation on Iranian islands and coastal cities by the Strait of Hormuz is back to normal now’.
The confrontation was not confined to the waterway. The United Arab Emirates said its air defences were engaging missile and drone threats from Iran early on Friday, although details were scarce.
Since the war began, Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host US military bases.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow
