Iranian boats approach US-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz, maritime sources say

Iranian Gunboats Confront US-Flagged Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Incident Overview

DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A group of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, maritime sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday.

Details of the Encounter

The Iranian boats ordered the tanker, the Stena Imperative, to stop its engine and prepare to be boarded before it could speed up and continue its voyage, maritime risk management group Vanguard said.

The vessel did not enter Iranian internal territorial waters and was escorted by a U.S. warship, the maritime risk management group said. An American official confirmed it was U.S. flagged.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations earlier said that a group of armed boats attempted to intercept a vessel 16 nautical miles (30 km) north of Oman, without identifying the vessel or the boats.

Iran's Response

The agency said it was investigating the incident, which happened in the inbound Traffic Separation Scheme of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency cited unnamed Iranian officials as saying later on Tuesday that a vessel had entered Iranian territorial waters without the necessary legal permits, was warned and left the area "without any special security event taking place."

Geopolitical Context

The strait links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea beyond.

OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, mainly to Asia.

Three vessels, two in 2023 and one in 2024, were seized by Iran near or in the strait. Some of the seizures followed U.S. seizures of tankers related to Iran.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul, Tala Ramadan, Idrees Ali and Elwely Elwelly, writing by Jaidaa Taha and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Alex Richardson and Bernadette Baum)