Iranian navy briefly seized oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz, US says

Iranian forces briefly seized an oil tanker marked with a Liberian flag near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon officials told The Associated Press.

Central Command published a black-and-white video that appeared to show Iran’s “sea king” helicopter lowering individuals onto the MT Wila in international waters. 

Today in international waters, Iranian forces, including two ships and an Iranian “Sea King” helicopter, overtook and boarded a ship called the ‘Wila.’ pic.twitter.com/455UQ5jwHT

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 12, 2020

The Iranian navy took control of the tanker for five hours before releasing it Wednesday, military officials told the AP. The Wila, which is officially owned by Bandit Shipping Co. and managed by Greek firm IMS SA, reportedly did not make any distress calls during this time.

Iran used the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King and two other Navy vessels to conduct the seizure, the AP reported. 

The news comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran since President Trump pulled out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

Pentagon and Central Command officials did not respond to an inquiry from The Hill.

The International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a multinational mission to police the Strait of Hormuz, confirmed the incident and released more footage.

“Iran’s use of its military forces to conduct an armed boarding of a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law that undermines freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce,” IMSC said in a statement on Thursday. “We call on Iran to articulate to the international community the legal basis for its actions. This type of reckless, aggressive behavior by Iran destabilizes the region and threatens the rules based international order.”

(4/5) IMSC STATEMENT: “A @IMSC_Sentinel coalition ship was providing overwatch in the immediate area and monitored the incident. There were no calls for help issued by Wila. Sentinel’s mission is to deter & expose malign activity, reassure the maritime community in the region.” pic.twitter.com/9GZwfIQXz7

— IMSC (@IMSC_Sentinel) August 13, 2020

–This report was updated at 12:46 p.m.