The US military accuses Iran of detaining a ship in the Gulf waters
The US Navy announced on Thursday evening that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had detained a commercial ship “suspected of being involved in smuggling activities” in international waters in the Gulf region, just a day after attempting to seize two tankers off the coast of the Omani capital, Muscat.
The US forces announced on Wednesday that they had thwarted two attempts by the Iranian Navy to seize two commercial oil tankers in international waters off the coast of Oman, stating that in one of these attempts, the Iranians opened fire on a tanker. However, Tehran confirmed on Thursday that its forces sought to intercept an oil tanker that collided with an Iranian vessel, while an Iranian source denied any involvement in the attack.
On Thursday, the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said in a statement, “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 have been deployed to monitor the situation closely,” and after “evaluating the circumstances of the incident, no further response was required.”
The statement did not specify the identity of the ship or whether it remains detained.
These incidents come at a time when the United States is seeking dialogue with Tehran on various contentious issues, including the international agreement on the Iranian nuclear program concluded in 2015, under which Iran agreed to impose restrictions on 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, believed to have focused largely on the release of Americans held by Iran.
The Fifth Fleet confirmed that US forces remain “vigilant and ready to protect the legitimate maritime traffic rights in vital Middle East waters”.
The US Navy stated on Wednesday that since 2021, Iran has harassed, attacked, or seized about 20 commercial ships.
In recent years, Washington and Tehran have exchanged accusations in light of a series of incidents in the Gulf waters, including mysterious attacks on ships, the downing of a drone, and the seizure of oil tankers.
These developments come amid improving Gulf-Iranian relations following the decision to resume relations between Tehran and Riyadh under Chinese sponsorship, following the signing of an agreement in March.
The United States has strengthened its military presence in the Gulf waters to confront Iranian threats by deploying dozens of drones.
The Iranian military sparked controversy last month when it announced its intention to form a naval force consisting of Gulf states, which the United States considered strange, especially since the threats to maritime navigation come from Tehran.
