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On November 3rd, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) thwarted an alleged attempt by the United States to intercept and seize an oil tanker.
The vessel is reportedly back in Iranian territorial waters.
#IRGC foils US attempt to seize #Iranian oil tanker in Sea of Oman https://t.co/4QRHSMYGjc pic.twitter.com/xcxHnQSiZr
— Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (@Iran_GOV) November 3, 2021
The US military confiscated the Iranian tanker loaded with crude oil in the Sea of Oman, which connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, and intended to unload its shipment to another tanker and direct it to an unknown destination.
The IRGC Navy reacted promptly and carried out a heliborne operation on the “stolen” ship’s deck, gained control of the vessel, and directed it back toward Iran’s territorial.
Then the American forces pursued the tanker by helicopters and warships but failed to capture it.
The Mehr News Agency said Iranian rapid-response speedboats had overwhelmed the American forces, and that footage would be published shortly. It reported that the US had tried to block the movement of the tanker by placing warships in its way.
The US barred Iranian oil exports as part of the crippling series of sanctions it imposed on Tehran following former president Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear pact, which put constraints on Iran’s atomic ambitions. The US also threatened to sanction any country that purchased Iranian oil.
Iran has vowed to continue exporting oil despite the sanctions. On a number of occasions, the US has successfully intercepted and seized vessels carrying Iranian oil.
Just two days earlier, Iran’s Navy reportedly thwarted an attempted “pirate attack” on an oil tanker sailing for the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen and past the Red Sea, according to Iranian media reports.
The report claimed the pirates tried to hijack the vessel but were scared off by the warning shots, which is in line with many attempted pirate attacks.
This is not the only reported instance of Iranian naval forces repelling pirate attacks on their ships in the region. In mid-October, state television reported that five pirate ships attacked two oil tankers, but were scared away by Iranian forces.
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