It is reported that two boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the vessel at high speed and “threatened to board and hijack the tanker.”
The American destroyer USS McFaul responded to the situation and escorted Stena Imperative with air support.
The Iranian Fars agency, citing officials, reported on Telegram that the American vessel allegedly entered Iranian territorial waters, so “regulatory authorities” demanded the necessary permits from it.
The Iranian side claims that “no security incident occurred,” since after the warning the ship allegedly immediately left Iranian waters.
At the same time, Vanguard's maritime risk management group reported that the tanker did not enter Iranian territorial waters, but was required to turn off the engine and prepare for boarding, The Wall Street Journal wrote.
Context
This is the second incident in 24 hours amid tensions between the US and Iran. Thus, on February 3, the US military shot down an Iranian Shahed, which was “aggressively” flying towards the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, approximately 800 km from the southern coast of Iran.
Earlier, on January 2, US President Donald Trump warned that the United States could intervene if Iranian authorities suppress peaceful mass anti-government protests that began at the end of December last year.
On January 22, human rights activists reported that the number of deaths during the protests could reach 22 thousand people. According to them data as of February 2, the deaths of 6,854 people were confirmed, including 152 children. More than 11 thousand more cases are being investigated.
On January 25, the media reported that the United States was transferring aircraft and destroyers to the Middle East amid a likely escalation with Iran. Trump said the US has a “big armada” near Iran. On January 27, the US carrier strike group USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East.
On January 28, Trump demanded that Iran come to the negotiating table to reach a “fair and just agreement – without nuclear weapons.” He warned that the next US strike “will be much worse” than last year's strikes on Iran's three nuclear sites.
However, the media wrote on February 3 that Trump does not want to attack Iran.
