IRGC Boats Fire Warning Shots at Singapore-Flagged Vessel

A U.S. official stated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fleet fired warning shots at a Singapore-flagged vessel in international waters of the Persian Gulf on Thursday. Reuters reported, without naming the U.S. official, that the vessel was forced to head towards the waters of the United Arab Emirates following the IRGC's actions. The report adds that the UAE sent its coast guard ships towards the Singapore-flagged vessel after the incident, at which point the Iranian boats had departed the scene. Iranian officials have not yet responded to this report, and it is unclear why the warning was issued to the Singapore-flagged vessel. However, in another report, Reuters quoted the same unnamed U.S. official suggesting that Iran may have acted in relation to a legal dispute. According to this U.S. official, the mentioned vessel had caused damage to an Iranian oil platform late last winter. Overall, this marks the third incident involving the IRGC Navy in the Persian Gulf within the past two weeks. On April 27, the IRGC seized a cargo ship named 'Maersk Tigris' flying the Marshall Islands flag, which was later reported to have been detained due to the owner's debt to Iranian companies. Iran ultimately released the vessel nine days later after obtaining a commitment from the owner to 'execute final judicial rulings,' but the temporary detention of the Maersk vessel led the U.S. fleet to escort some American and British ships during their passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon also announced that the IRGC had recently 'harassed' a commercial vessel flying the U.S. flag. In this context, Iran demanded $3.6 million from 'Maersk.' The U.S. ended its mission to escort commercial vessels in Hormuz due to the risks posed by the Yemen war to strategic shipping routes.