Iran's IRGC Seizes Commercial Ship in Persian Gulf

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has "forcibly seized" a commercial ship in international waters in the Persian Gulf, the US Navy says, adding that the vessel may have been involved in smuggling activity.

The US Navy “deployed maritime assets to closely monitor the situation" and "assessed the circumstances of this event did not warrant further response," US Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins said on July 6.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported overnight that the IRGC Navy seized an oil tanker near Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas.

The vessel was carrying 900 metric tons of "smuggled fuel" and had 12 crew members on board, the report said, adding that the seizure was carried out based on a court order. 

On July 5, the US Navy said in a statement it had intervened to prevent Iranian forces from seizing two commercial tankers transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman.

In both cases, the Iranian naval vessels backed off after the US Navy responded to distress signals, and both commercial ships continued their voyages, it said.

"US forces remain vigilant and ready to protect navigational rights of lawful maritime traffic in the Middle East’s critical waters," Hawkins said.

Also on July 5, Iran’s state media cited the Maritime Search and Rescue Center of Hormozgan Province in the country’s south as saying in a statement that Iranian authorities obtained a court order for the seizure of one of the tankers sailing in the Persian Gulf the previous day after it collided with an Iranian vessel. 

Five people were injured in the collision, the reports said, citing the statement.

The vessel, the Bahamas-flagged Richmond Voyager, was managed by US oil major Chevron.

Iranian forces seized two other tankers in May.

The Fifth Fleet said this week that the United States in may increased the rotation of ships and aircraft patrolling the Strait of Hormuz with its partners “following an uptick in Iranian merchant vessel seizures.” 

“Since 2021, Iran has harassed, attacked or seized nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels, presenting a clear threat to regional maritime security and the global economy,” it added.