US Navy says Iran Revolutionary Guard fast-attack boats ‘harassed’ ship in Strait of Hormuz

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In the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy and the United Kingdom Royal Navy intervened to assist a ship that was reportedly harassed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as announced on Monday.

According to a statement from the US Navy, three fast-attack vessels belonging to the Guard, each carrying armed troops, approached the merchant ship at close proximity on Sunday afternoon. The US Navy provided black-and-white images captured by a Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, showing three small boats near the commercial vessel.

In response to the incident, the US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul and the Royal Navy’s frigate HMS Lancaster swiftly arrived at the scene, with the Lancaster deploying a helicopter.

Approximately an hour later, the situation deescalated when the merchant vessel confirmed that the fast-attack craft had departed. The Navy stated, “The merchant ship continued its transit through the Strait of Hormuz without further incident.”

The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage connecting the Persian Gulf, witnesses the transit of 20% of the world’s oil.

Although the Navy did not disclose the name of the vessel involved, ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic.com, analyzed by The Big Big News, revealed that the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Venture deviated from its course erratically during the incident. The vessel’s location aligned with the information provided by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees regional traffic. Furthermore, the vessel in question resembled the images released by the US Navy.

Trust Bulkers, the registered manager of the ship based in Athens, Greece, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Iranian state media and the Revolutionary Guard have not acknowledged the incident, and Iran’s mission to the United Nations has yet to provide a comment.

This recent incident follows a series of maritime encounters involving Iran since the US unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.

The suspected seizure of the Suez Rajan, a tanker connected to a US private equity firm and believed to be carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil off Singapore, likely prompted Tehran to seize the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet. The latter vessel was transporting Kuwaiti crude oil for Chevron Corp. of San Ramon, California.

Although the seizure of the Suez Rajan has not been officially confirmed, ship-tracking data analyzed by the AP indicates that the vessel is currently off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

In a separate incident, Iran seized the Niovi, a Panama-flagged tanker, as it was leaving a dry dock in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, en route to Fujairah on the UAE’s eastern coast. While the Niovi did not carry any cargo, data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, viewed by the AP, revealed that it received oil from a vessel previously known as the Oman Pride in July 2020.

In August 2021, the US Treasury sanctioned the Oman Pride and other entities associated with the vessel due to its involvement in an international oil smuggling network that supported the Guard’s Quds Force. Alleged leaked emails published by the website Wikiran suggested that the cargo carried by the Niovi was unauthorizedly sold to Chinese firms.

Satellite imagery examined by the AP indicated that both vessels were anchored off Bandar Abbas, Iran.

These recent seizures have intensified pressure on the US, which has long served as the security guarantor for Gulf Arab nations. Last week, the United Arab Emirates claimed to have “withdrawn its participation” from the Combined Maritime Forces, a joint naval command, although the US Navy stated that the UAE remains part of the group. Additionally, the head of the US military’s Central Command visited the region and met with Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss shared regional security concerns and security partnerships.

In a demonstration of unified resolve to keep the vital waterway open, the commanders of the US, British, and French navies in the Middle East region recently transited the Strait of Hormuz aboard an American warship, following Iran’s seizure of the two oil tankers.

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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

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• US Navy
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• Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
• Tensions in the Persian Gulf
• Importance of the Strait of Hormuz