IRGC: Two More Oil Tankers Seized in the Persian Gulf; U.S.: 'Claims' Are Questionable

The naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that in the past two days, they have seized two foreign oil tankers in the waters of the Persian Gulf and detained 37 crew members. Mohammad Sharif Shirali, the deputy commander of the IRGC's third naval region, announced on Friday, September 15, that these two tankers were flying the flags of Panama and Tanzania and were named 'Steven' and 'Kron.' However, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, the validity of this claim is questionable. The spokesperson stated in a written response to Voice of America that the Fifth Fleet is aware of the news released by the Islamic Republic but has not observed any signs of its validity. This spokesperson added that no reports have been received from any shipping company or regional partners indicating that one of their tankers has been seized. The IRGC's naval forces have accused the seized vessels of transporting smuggled Iranian fuel and stated that they were seized under judicial orders. According to the deputy commander of the IRGC's third naval region, these two foreign tankers have been transferred to the port of Mahshahr and the Arvand base, and their 37 crew members have been handed over to judicial authorities. This military official did not mention the nationality of the detainees. U.S. military officials recently announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran has conducted operations to seize about 20 ships flying international flags in the Persian Gulf over the past two years. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, warned in July of this year about the heightened risk of vessel seizures in the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian government forces. The U.S. announced that on July 4 of this year, it prevented the Iranian naval forces from seizing two commercial tankers in international waters near the Sea of Oman. The coalition of naval forces led by the U.S. has also recently urged commercial vessels to stay as far away as possible from Iranian territorial waters to avoid the risk of seizure. In response to the seizure of tankers by Iranian armed forces, Washington announced in July that it had sent over 3,000 of its military personnel along with two warships to the Red Sea. AFP also reported that the U.S. is considering deploying some of its forces on these vessels to ensure the security of commercial tanker traffic from the Persian Gulf. The provocative actions of the Iranian naval forces against foreign commercial ships, including the seizure of vessels, caused Iran to lose the opportunity to host the World Maritime Day ceremony. The U.S. Department of Justice: Over 980,000 barrels of smuggled oil from the IRGC have been seized. The U.S. special envoy for Yemen is heading to the Persian Gulf. Western naval forces warn commercial vessels: Stay away from Iranian territorial waters. IRGC's oil threat: If the Iranian tanker is unloaded, we will retaliate. The Islamic Republic's harassment of commercial ships; Iran lost the opportunity to host an international meeting.