US Navy Says It Prevented Iran from Seizing Tankers in Gulf of Oman

An oil tanker sails through the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters file photo)
An oil tanker sails through the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters file photo)
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US Navy Says It Prevented Iran from Seizing Tankers in Gulf of Oman

An oil tanker sails through the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters file photo)
An oil tanker sails through the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters file photo)

The US Navy said it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday in the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on ships in the area since 2019.

Chevron said one incident involved the Richmond Voyager, a very large crude carrier managed by the US oil major, and that crew onboard were safe.

An Iranian navy vessel fired shots during the second seizure attempt, Navy Fifth Fleet spokesperson Timothy Hawkins said.

Both incidents took place in waters between Iran and Oman.

Hawkins did not say how the US Navy prevented the seizure of the ships or provide any further information at this stage. Details regarding the second vessel involved in the incident were not immediately clear.

British maritime security company Ambrey said a warship with a multinational navy task group was in the area at the time and had requested the Iranian navy to "cease harassing" one of the merchant ships.

Iran's state news agency IRNA said on Wednesday that Iranian authorities have not commented yet on the matter.

Since 2019, there has been a series of attacks on shipping in strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.

Iran seized two oil tankers in a week just over a month ago, the US Navy said.

About a fifth of the world's supply of crude oil and oil products passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point between Iran and Oman, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa.

A Chevron spokesperson said: "There is no loss of life, injury, or loss of containment" aboard the Richmond Voyager.

"The vessel is operating normally. The safety of our crew is our top priority," the spokesperson said.

The Richmond Voyager was sailing away from the Gulf with Singapore listed as its destination, Refinitiv ship tracking showed.

Top ship registries including the Marshall Islands and Greece have warned in recent weeks of the threat to commercial shipping in the Gulf including the Strait of Hormuz.

In another point of tension, the US confiscated a cargo of Iranian oil aboard a tanker in April in a sanctions enforcement operation, sources told Reuters.

That vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan, is anchored outside the US Gulf of Mexico terminal of Galveston waiting to discharge its cargo, according to Refinitiv ship tracking.



MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution
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MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the statement issued by the Co-Chairs of the United Nations High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, represented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.
In a statement from the League’s General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa reaffirmed the League and the Islamic world’s appreciation for the pivotal and significant momentum generated by the international coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, to implement the two-state solution.

He noted that this conference was one of the important outcomes of these efforts, alongside the coalition’s remarkable diplomatic achievements in a short time, which have pushed the international community toward a legitimate and responsible stance aligned with the legal and human rights of the Palestinian people, SPA reported.

Dr. Al-Issa also expressed regret over the ongoing escalation and recent developments in the region that led to the suspension of this historic conference, which had been widely anticipated as a step toward a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, the implementation of the two-state solution, and an end to the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people and the humanitarian tragedy facing civilians in Gaza.

He praised the statement’s reaffirmation of unwavering support for all efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza and achieving a just and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian question through the implementation of the two-state solution.