The Iranian Navy opened fire in an attempt to seize 2 oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz before being driven off by United States Navy ships, according to reports.
Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, stated “the Iranian navy did make attempts to seize commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters. The U.S. Navy responded immediately and prevented those seizures.”
“Event downgraded from suspicious approach to incident, reported to be interaction with national maritime forces. Vessel and crew are safe, vessel proceeding to next port of call,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization (UKTMO) said in an update.
The UKMTO gave coordinates for the incident to 240107N – 0585048E, approximately 28 nautical miles northeast of Muscat, the capital of Oman. They also confirmed that shots were fired at the civilian vessels.
UKMTO WARNING 001/JUL/2023 UPDATE 001
Category: IncidentEvent downgraded from suspicious approach to incident. Vessel and crew are safe, vessel proceeding to next port of call.https://t.co/a6eYax4Zi0#MaritimeSecurity #Marsec pic.twitter.com/Rw7alxcWhO
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) July 5, 2023
Iran has not yet responded to these reports. Tehran’s naval forces been been responsible for 5 vessel seizures in the region over the past 2 years, according to the US Navy.
