New footage aired by Iran’s state television on Friday revealed Iranian navy commandos boarding a U.S.-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
The U.S. Navy confirmed that Iran seized the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, Advantage Sweet, in international waters within the Gulf of Oman last Thursday. This incident marks the latest in a series of seizures and attacks by Iranian forces on commercial vessels navigating the sensitive Gulf waters.
The capture of the Advantage Sweet followed the U.S. confiscation of Iranian oil cargo aboard a separate tanker just days prior, according to sources.
Iran’s military claimed that the Advantage Sweet had collided with an Iranian boat, causing injuries to several crew members.
The Advantage Sweet, a Suezmax crude tanker, had been chartered by oil giant Chevron. AIS data from MarineTraffic.com indicated that the vessel was en route from Kuwait to Houston, Texas, at the time of the seizure.
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Three China-linked supertankers have U-turned in the Strait of Hormuz as risks to shipping remain elevated, with prospects for a normalization of traffic dimming after President Donald Trump took a hard line on Iran.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks between the U.S. and Iran were neither taking place nor scheduled but the Strait of Hormuz was open, while Iran said the shipping route would remain closed until the U.S. fulfilled the terms of an interim deal
Earnings for a supertanker procuring crude oil from within the Persian Gulf to Asia are nearing a two-month high, as exporters hunt for more vessels to deliver the fuel via the Strait of Hormuz even as the security situation remains uncertain.
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