About a week after the last incident, Iranian ships detained another oil tanker. This time a ship flying the flag of Panama is involved.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) have again detained an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by the Tasnim news agency on Wednesday, and the US Navy’s Central Command also confirmed the incident. Almost a week ago, Iran’s navy had arrested a tanker in the Gulf of Oman and diverted the ship to Iranian coastal waters. According to Tehran, it was retaliation after the US seized a tanker carrying Iranian oil.
According to the US Navy stationed in the region, the tanker arrested on Wednesday was flying the Panamanian flag and was en route from Dubai to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Several IRGC speedboats surrounded the tanker and diverted its course towards the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
There have been repeated incidents with tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf in the past. This triggered some violent political tensions. In particular, the Strait of Hormuz, an approximately 55-kilometer-wide strait between Iran and Oman, is considered one of the most important shipping routes for global oil exports.
