Six Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboats armed with .50-caliber weapons attempted to board the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Imperative approximately 30km north of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
According to British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech, the IRGC vessels ordered the captain to stop engines and prepare for boarding, but the tanker ignored the order and increased speed.
The vessel is now being escorted by a U.S. Navy warship and remains on course for Bahrain’s Sitrah port, with arrival scheduled for Feb. 5, the company said.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency cited unnamed officials saying a vessel entered Iranian waters without the necessary permits. The ship was warned and departed “without any special security event taking place,” the authorities reportedly said.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, has witnessed several incidents in the past. A senior naval official from the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic’s ideological army, warned last week that it could block the Strait if the U.S. launched an attack.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have surged in recent weeks, with the U.S. increasing its naval presence in the Middle East and President Donald Trump threatening strikes over Iran’s violent crackdown on protests and its refusal to reach a nuclear deal.
According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet with Iranian officials on Friday in Turkey to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
“Especial envoy Witkoff is set to have conversations with the Iranians later this week, those are still scheduled as of right now, but of course the president has always a range of options on the table and that includes the use of military force,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.
Obama the marxist started the use of drones if I’m not correct , he also started the broadcasting stations to use Emmett till, Rosie Parks to start the Attacks against White People but he also knew that the Mann Act of 1910 discrimination against white women & kids existed in human trafficking so why did they Shut down serena & her sister moving co. under the table news media esport business Oprah winfrey knew about.& why he he tell the White Woman he could not marry her because she was White? & the Epstein ordeal since the Clintons his cousins Obama was the mastermind behind the cover up of Coronavirus release to the USA just after Hillary lost to D. Trump first time, he also was involved in the fake reports & links to the Christopher Steele Trump dossier you know the one Kash Patel made 25 thousand dollars from Lobotknok the global film maker handed the pay off to. link to Hillary Clinton’s unverified Trump dossier now I don’t care if they personally don’t like each other. but I want them out of office & stopped from using Americans tax dollars to put this phony garbage on my TV wearing expensive clothing when they should be wearing rags & not in city or state government. time to end their reign in getting paid for corruption, notoriety, power, & free travel expenses free health care , so they can lie cheat & steal for what belongs to all american citizens & replace them with our honest directors city & state government employees with good merits , we do not have mafias, gang bangers, or dictators working for us Americans