Invaders abandoned oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman

The invaders, who attacked a ship carrying oil products in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, abandoned it. The tanker is safe now transfers Reuters with reference to the British Organization for the Coordination of Merchant Shipping (UKMTO). The name of the vessel and the number of the crew are unknown, no casualties have been reported.

Earlier, the three naval military departments reported that the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess was captured an armed group of eight or nine people. After that, the tanker headed for the shores of Iran. According to Reuters, forces backed by the Islamic Republic were involved in the seizure.

Shortly before the hijacking of the vessel, a “loss of control” was reported by four to six oil tankers in the region, through which one-fifth of the world’s maritime oil exports pass. Such a signal indicates that the vessel is unable to maneuver due to exceptional circumstances. According to the Associated Press, an Omani Air Force naval patrol aircraft circled over the area where the ships were stationed for several hours.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry called the reports of the incident involving several tankers “suspicious.” Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi on Tuesday called reports of naval incidents and ship hijackings in the Persian Gulf region “a kind of psychological warfare and setting the stage for new adventures.”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry warned against attempts to damage the country’s sovereignty. “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not hesitate in protecting its security and national interests, and it will respond immediately and decisively to any possible adventure,” said ministry spokesman Said Khatibzade. According to him, the United Kingdom and the United States are making “contradictory, false and provocative claims against Iran,” informs Interfax.

The US State Department said it was analyzing information about the incident in the Gulf of Oman. At the same time, a spokesman for the department, Ned Price, commenting on the recent incident with the ship Mercer Street, said: “We are seeing a very alarming picture of militancy on the part of Iran, including in the maritime sphere.”

Recently the USA, Great Britain and Israel accused Iran attacks the Mercer Street oil tanker off Oman on July 29. Drones with explosives were used for the attack. As a result of the attack, the captain’s bridge was damaged. In this case, two people were killed – citizens of Romania and Great Britain. Iran denied any involvement in the incident.