US Navy: Iranian Revolutionary Guard detains merchant vessel in the Gulf

The US Navy announced on Thursday evening that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had detained a commercial vessel "suspected of being involved in smuggling activities" in international waters in the Gulf region.

This comes a day after US forces thwarted two attempts by the Iranian navy to seize two commercial oil tankers in international waters off the coast of Oman. In one of these attempts, the Iranians reportedly fired shots at a tanker. However, Tehran confirmed on Thursday that its forces sought to intercept an oil tanker that collided with an Iranian ship.

On Thursday, the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, stated in a statement received by AFP, "On July 6th, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained a commercial vessel suspected of being involved in smuggling activities while crossing the Arabian Gulf in international waters."

The statement added, "US naval assets were deployed to monitor the situation closely," and after "evaluating the circumstances of the incident, no further response was deemed necessary."

The statement did not specify the identity of the ship or whether it is still being held.

These incidents come at a time when the United States is seeking dialogue with Tehran on several contentious issues, most notably the international agreement on the Iranian nuclear program reached in 2015, under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions imposed on it.

Recently, Oman has taken the initiative to arrange indirect talks between the two sides, focusing primarily on the release of Americans detained by Iran.

The US Fifth Fleet reaffirmed that US forces remain "vigilant and ready to protect the lawful maritime rights of legitimate traffic in the vital waters of the Middle East."

In recent years, Washington and Tehran have exchanged accusations following a series of incidents in the Gulf waters, including mysterious attacks on ships, the downing of a drone, and the seizure of oil tankers.




AFP