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Iran says it blocks U.S. attempt to confiscate oil in Sea of Oman

03 November 2021 23:04 (UTC +04:00)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they thwarted an attempt by the United States to detain a tanker carrying the Islamic Republic's oil in the Sea of Oman, APA reports quoting Reuters.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Iranian report was not true and there had been no American attempt to seize a tanker.

The American officials said that in reality Iranian forces had seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker last month and U.S. naval forces were just monitoring the situation.

"With the timely and authoritative action of the Guards naval forces, the U.S. terrorist Navy's operation to steal Iranian oil in the Sea of Oman failed," the elite Guards said in a statement published by Iranian state media.

"The tanker carrying Iran's oil docked at the port of Bandar Abbas on October 25."

While Iranian media identified the seized tanker as "SOTHYS" -- the name tanker tracking websites give for a Vietnam-flagged vessel -- state TV aired footage showing a red tanker surrounded by about 10 speed boats. It also included a recording of what TV said was the encounter between Iranian and U.S. forces.

Iran has repeatedly warned the United States about its military activities in the Gulf, saying that the Guards' naval forces have increased patrols to also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.