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Pakistan's Premier Multilingual News Agency

Marshall Islands oil tanker seized by Iranian Navy

Iran's Navy captured it after it allegedly collided with an Iranian boat and made an attempt to flee the scene

Dubai, 28 April 2023 (GNP): In the midst of rising tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s navy on Thursday captured a Marshall Islands oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman destined for the United States.

Iran’s Military said in a statement: “The seizure came after an unknown ship collided with an Iranian vessel last night on Wednesday in the Persian Gulf, causing several Iranian crew members to go missing and get injured”.

“The Iranian naval forces later intercepted the fleeing ship in the Gulf of Oman and directed it toward Iran’s coastal waters”, it added.

In a statement released on Thursday, the US Navy confirmed that the Iranian Navy had taken control of the Marshall Islands oil tanker, Advantage Sweet, in the Gulf of Oman’s international waters.

The Advantage Sweet was recognized as the seized ship by the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is stationed in the Middle East. According to MarineTraffic.com’s satellite monitoring data, the ship was located in the Gulf of Oman, just to the north of Oman’s capital Muscat, on Thursday afternoon.

Houston was indicated as the destination and it had just arrived from Kuwait.

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According to the Navy, they received an emergency call from Advantage Sweet as Iran seized the ship at 1:15 p.m. while it was in international waters.

The 5th Fleet issued a statement saying that Iran’s actions “are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability”.

“Iran should immediately release the oil tanker”, it demanded.

5th Fleet spokesperson, Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins told the press, the Navy first claimed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard militia had taken control of the ship. However, an American naval aircraft subsequently confirmed that Iran’s navy actually did so.

However, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that the seizure occurred after an unidentified ship collided with an Iranian vessel last night in the Persian Gulf, leading to the disappearance and injuries of many Iranian crew members. The other ship allegedly involved in the incident was not revealed.

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