During the tense relations between the United States and Iran, a spokesperson for the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Tim Hawkins, stated on Tuesday (February 3) that Iranian military ships attempted to seize a U.S. oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on that day. Fortunately, a U.S. destroyer promptly arrived and successfully escorted the oil tanker to prevent the situation from escalating.
In the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran harassed a commercial ship flying the American flag and operated by American crew members that was legally passing through international waters at the time.
“Two Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ships and an Iranian ‘Mohajer’ unmanned aerial vehicle rapidly approached the ‘Stena Imperative’ oil tanker and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” explained Hawkins. “The U.S. missile destroyer USS McFaul, which was conducting a mission in the area, immediately rushed to the scene and, with aerial defense support from the U.S., escorted the ‘Stena Imperative’ oil tanker. As a result, the situation de-escalated, and the oil tanker, flying the U.S. flag, is currently sailing safely.”
The UK maritime security company, Vanguard Tech, also reported the incident. The company stated that when Iranian small gunboats approached the “Stena Imperative” oil tanker as it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz, located approximately 16 nautical miles north of the coast of Oman.
The company added that the Iranian gunboats issued instructions to the tanker via radio, ordering the captain to “shutdown the engines and prepare for boarding inspection,” but the tanker accelerated and was escorted by a U.S. warship.
According to information released by the MarineTraffic website, as of Tuesday afternoon, the oil tanker was still en route to Bahrain and is expected to arrive at Sitrah Port on February 5.
Vanguard Tech mentioned that the “Stena Imperative” has never entered Iranian territorial waters. However, Iran’s Fars News Agency, closely associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, quoted an unnamed government official on Tuesday denying Vanguard Tech’s statement, claiming that a vessel was intercepted after entering Iranian territorial waters without permission.
MarineTraffic’s tracking data shows that the “Stena Imperative” remained within the exclusive economic zone of the Oman Sea while crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital passage for global oil and liquefied natural gas transportation, with several incidents occurring here during past periods of tense relations between Iran and the West.
This latest incident comes at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. is continuously reinforcing its military presence around Iran. President Trump is considering military strike options against Iran.
(Some content in this article was referenced from CBS reports)