The Iranian military has reported that two Iranian nationals are missing after their vessel collided with an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The incident has also left several injured and prompted Iran to seize the tanker. The Iranian military said in a statement that following the collision of an unknown vessel with an Iranian vessel in Persian Gulf waters, two of the crew members are missing and several were injured. The unknown vessel, which failed to assist the injured crew members and violated international law, attempted to escape.
The US Navy, based in Bahrain, has also issued a statement indicating that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker “Advantage Sweet” has been intercepted by the Revolutionary Guards Navy while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman. The US Navy has called for the immediate release of the tanker and criticized Tehran’s interference in navigation rights in regional waters. It has not been specified who owns the vessel or what its destination was.
The waters where the vessel was seized, near the Strait of Hormuz, are a critical point through which at least a third of the world’s seaborne oil transits. This incident is the latest in a series of tensions between Iran and Western countries, including the United States, over Iran’s nuclear program and its influence in the region.