Key takeaways:
- The U.S. Navy destroyer USS McFaul prevented Iranian warships from seizing two oil tankers in international waters near Oman.
- The tankers were the Bahamas-flagged Richmond Voyager and the Marshall Islands-flagged TRF Moss.
- The Iranian navy attempted to seize the tankers, but the USS McFaul intervened and the tankers continued their voyages.
A U.S. Navy destroyer prevented Iranian warships from seizing two oil tankers in international waters near Oman on Wednesday, according to an American military official.
Ambrey, a maritime intelligence service, said the tanker that was fired upon was a Bahamas-flagged, Greek-owned vessel called the Richmond Voyager. The other tanker, the TRF Moss, was Marshall Islands-flagged.
At about 1 a.m. local time, an Iranian navy vessel approached the TRF Moss, which had just transited the Strait of Hormuz. Three hours later, another Iranian navy vessel approached the Richmond Voyager, which had sailed from the United Arab Emirates through the Strait of Hormuz.
Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the Iranian navy did make attempts to seize the two commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters. He said the gunfire directed at the second vessel did not cause casualties or major damage.
The tanker issued a distress call after the Iranian ship allegedly tried to get it to stop. When the Navy moved the destroyer USS McFaul to the scene, the Iranian ship changed course and left. Both commercial ships continued their voyages.
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