State-run television in Tehran has aired footage of Iranian commandos seizing an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, capturing the US-bound vessel because of a dispute over an alleged collision with another ship.
The video was broadcast on Friday by IRNA news, showing Iranian forces raiding the Advantage Sweet, a Chinese-owned tanker that was operated by a Turkish firm and was carrying crude to refineries on America’s Gulf Coast. The clip shows masked commandos repelling down a rope from a helicopter onto the tanker.
According to the IRNA report, the ship collided with an unidentified Iranian vessel on Wednesday evening in the Persian Gulf, resulting in several injuries and leaving multiple crew members missing. The tanker was escorted into port with its 24 crew members aboard.
Türkiye’s Advantage Tankers LLC, which manages the Advantage Sweet on behalf of its Chinese owner, confirmed that the Suezmax-class tanker was seized by the Iranian navy “on the basis of an international dispute.” The firm added, “The safety and welfare of our valued crew members is our No. 1 priority. Similar experiences show that crew members of vessels taken under such circumstances are in no danger.”
The US Navy’s 5th Fleet said the tanker issued a distress call during its seizure in international waters by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN). “Iran’s actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability,” the 5th Fleet said in a statement. “The Iranian government should immediately release the oil tanker.”
US officials claimed that Iran has “unlawfully seized” at least five commercial ships operating in Middle Eastern waters in the past two years. “Iran’s continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy,” the 5th Fleet said.
The latest incident comes amid rising US-Iran tensions. An IRIN vessel intercepted the USS Florida submarine in the Strait of Hormuz and forced it to surface and change course, Iranian Rear Admiral Shahram Irani claimed last week. US officials denied that the encounter had taken place. Also earlier this month, the IRIN reportedly turned back a US spy plane on the edge of its airspace.