Iran seizes tanker freighting 1 million gallons of looted oil in Gulf
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The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy says it detained a ship carrying a million liters of smuggled fuel in the Gulf.
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Islamic Revolutionary Guard vessels watch an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, May 19, 2023 (AP)
The Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps managed Friday to detain a ship that had been carrying a million liters of smuggled oil in the Gulf.
The IRGC's patrol ships in the Gulf stopped through a court order a ship carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel with 12 crew members on board, a report by Fars news agency said.
No further details regarding the situation have been released thus far.
This comes after an Iranian military source denied Thursday allegations made by the US Navy that Iran attempted to seize two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and that the US forces prevented it.
The Pentagon issued a statement earlier in the day claiming that US forces prevented two separate attempts by Iran's Navy to seize two commercial oil tankers in international waters off the coast of Oman, alleging that in one of these attempts, the Iranian forces opened fire toward the tanker.
Read more: Iran Navy blocks US aircraft from entering airspace
The US Central Command CENTCOM claimed that an Iranian vessel tried to seize a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker TRF Moss near the Gulf of Oman, and after about three hours, the vessel tried to seize the tanker Richmond Voyager that flies the flag of the Bahamas.
Last June, the UAE announced its withdrawal from its participation in the US-led Middle East Maritime Security Alliance in the Gulf as a result of an assessment of its security ties.
Following the Gulf country's announcement, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani revealed that Iran's navy and regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, India and Iraq will establish a new naval coalition in the near future.
Irani highlighted that almost all of the countries in the North Indian Ocean region have agreed to stand by Iran and exert strained efforts to establish security with significant synergy.
The United States conveyed dismay over the announcement, as it sees that its 5th fleet situated in Bahrain will become at risk if the naval bloc was formed.
