US accuses IRGC of hijacking tanker in Persian Gulf

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday seized a commercial ship in the Gulf, the US Navy said, a day after it had accused Iranian forces of two similar attempts off Oman.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forcibly seized a commercial vessel possibly engaged in smuggling activity,” the Bahrain-based US Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a statement, The Times of Israel reports.

US forces monitored the incident in international waters, it added, but “assessed the circumstances of this event did not warrant further response.”

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.

On Wednesday, the US Navy said it had blocked two attempts by the Iranian navy to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oman, including one case in which the Iranians fired shots.

In both cases, the US Central Command said the Iranians departed after a US destroyer appeared on the scene.

The maritime services in Iran said one of the two tankers, the Bahamian-flagged Richmond Voyager, had collided with an Iranian vessel, seriously injuring five crew members, according to state news agency IRNA.

They said the collision had occurred on Tuesday and that it damaged and caused the flooding of the Iranian vessel.

“The Richmond Voyager continued on its way, regardless of international maritime rules and regulations,” IRNA said, adding a court order had been issued for Iran’s navy to seize the tanker.

The news agency said the tanker changed course before entering Oman’s territorial waters.

Iran said it had referred the matter to the “friendly” Sultanate of Oman, which has mediated talks between the Islamic Republic and the United States, and that it was seeking the vessel’s seizure.

In April and early May, Iran seized two tankers within a week in regional waters.