Iran has announced that its attempt to hijack a Greek-owned tanker operated by the American company Chevron while sailing in the waters of the Persian Gulf was carried out on the basis of a court order.
The operation was thwarted by the intervention of the US Navy. Tehran claims the tanker collided with an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman, and the US Navy said it intervened to prevent Iran’s attempt to seize two merchant tankers, including the Richmond Voyager.
According to the Marine Search and Rescue Center of Hormozgan Province in Iran, “The Bahamas-flagged oil tanker Richmond Voyager collided with an Iranian vessel with seven crew members on board, resulting in serious injuries to five people.” Tehran also claims that the tanker did not stop after the collision, and the owner of the Iranian ship asked the Tehran authorities to intervene.
The tanker came under fire while sailing in the waters of the Gulf of Oman, but the ship and crew are safe, the British Maritime Safety Agency said yesterday. “An Iranian Navy ship opened fire on a second hijacking attempt,” US Navy Fifth Fleet spokesman Timothy Hawkins said.
On July 5, U.S. 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. Both of these incidents occurred in international waters. Read more ⬇️ https://t.co/HJNTzKtsXv pic.twitter.com/rvzDcATCQq
— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) July 5, 2023
Video of the shelling of a Greek tanker by the Iranian Navy
US oil company Chevron, which operates the Richmond Voyager, said its crew is safe and the ship is operating normally.
In one week, Iran seized two tankers. Earlier, the US Navy responded to the incident with the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker TRF Moss in the same area. Iran seized two oil tankers just over a month ago, the US Navy said. Sources considerthat it was revenge for the US confiscating Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days, as part of a self-proclaimed sanctions enforcement operation. A few days later, Iran, in retaliation, seized a Greek tanker.
The saddest thing about this “cold war” between the US and Iran is that the victims in this situation are Greek shipowners.
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