Iran seized an oil tanker headed for Texas on Thursday, according to the U.S. Navy.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) took over the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, called the Advantage Sweet, in the Gulf of Oman, said the Navy’s Fifth Fleet. The tanker issued a distress signal as this was happening. The IRGCN seized the tanker by going onto the ship via helicopter.
“Iran’s actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability,” said the Fifth Fleet in a statement. “The Iranian government should immediately release the oil tanker.”
The tanker is an 11-year-old commercial vessel owned by Turkey-based firm Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS….