Title: U.S. Navy Thwarts Iran’s Attempted Seizure of Oil Tankers in Oman
Subtitle: Navy officials report intense gunfire in response to Iran’s military actions
Date: [Insert Date]
The U.S. Navy has announced that it successfully thwarted Iran’s military attempts to commandeer two commercial oil tankers off the coast of Oman. One of the incident involved intense gunfire, according to an official statement released on Wednesday.
The Navy revealed that Iranian personnel fired multiple long bursts from small arms and crew-served weapons at the Richmond Voyager, a merchant ship registered in the Bahamas. The intense gunfire triggered a distress call from the tanker and led to several rounds hitting the ship’s hull near crew living spaces. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
The Navy also released footage captured by an American MQ-9 surveillance drone, showing flashes near the Richmond Voyager from what officials described as “ricocheted rounds.” Additionally, imagery shared by the Navy purportedly shows ammunition fragments recovered from the targeted commercial vessel.
As of now, Iran’s mission to the United Nations has yet to respond to the incident.
According to the Navy’s news release, the Iranian military vessel positioned itself within a mile of the Richmond Voyager and ordered the tanker to stop. In response, the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul was dispatched to the area, forcing the Iranian ship to flee.
Both incidents occurred in international waters, more than 20 miles off the coast of Muscat, the capital of Oman. The Richmond Voyager was heading towards the Arabian Sea at the time of the encounter.
This is not the first time such incidents have occurred in the region. The Navy revealed that the USS McFaul had responded to a similar incident three hours prior involving another Iranian military vessel and a commercial oil tanker identified as the TRF Moss. The Moss is registered in the Marshall Islands.
U.S. military officials have noted an increase in the frequency of ship seizures by Iran since May. As a result, they have ramped up naval and air patrols in the region. The Navy’s statement highlighted that Iran’s actions have targeted and threatened nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels since 2021. This poses a significant risk to regional maritime security and the global economy.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing tensions in the Persian Gulf region and the need for heightened vigilance among international military forces to ensure the safety and security of commercial vessels and worldwide maritime trade.