The U.S. is keeping mum about Iran’s seizure of a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker, other than to push back against Tehran’s claims that it was actually American forces who attempted to detain the vessel.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard troops took control of the MV Sothys at gunpoint on Oct. 24 in the Gulf of Oman. Analysts suspect the ship of transferring the Islamic Republic’s sanctioned oil to Asia.
Video released by Iran showed troops rappelling from a helicopter onto the deck while several small speedboats circled the oil tanker. The USS The Sullivans, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, also could be seen in the video. Pentagon officials acknowledged that U.S. navy ships were in the area at the time but offered few details about the incident.
“What I can tell you confidently is that U.S. Navy vessels monitoring this situation were acting in accordance with international law,” chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
The official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) claimed American forces seized an Iranian oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, then transferred its oil to another tank — presumably the MV Sothys. Iran claims its troops then captured the tanker in a heliborne commando raid.
“Then the American terrorist forces pursued the tanker by helicopter and warships but failed to capture it,” according to the report from IRNA.
Pentagon officials called their statements “ridiculous,” saying Iran’s actions serve only to undermine freedom of navigation.
“The only ‘seizing’ that was done was by Iran,” Mr. Kirby said.
Analysts with the maritime monitoring organization TankerTrackers said equipment aboard the ship indicates it was off the coast of China for several weeks before making the return trip to the Middle East with 700,000 barrels of Iranian crude oil.
“She was rejected entry into China — most likely because of sanctions — and sailed back,” the analysts said in a statement. “There was nowhere else for her to go other than (the Iranian port city of) Bandar Abbas because she can’t go to China anymore, especially with this cargo.”
The U.S. maintains a heavy naval presence in the Middle East. The 5th Fleet, the Navy’s contribution to U.S. Central Command, is based in Bahrain.
“We do believe our forward presence in that part of the world has and will continue to act as a deterrent,” Mr. Kirby said. “Does it deter every action by the Iranians and particularly the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]? No, that’s one of the reasons why we’re there to help support freedom of navigation and free commerce.”
Officials in Vietnam say they are closely monitoring the developments and working with Iranian authorities to resolve the dispute, according to the Associated Press.
The captain of the MV Sothys told the Vietnamese embassy that the 26 crew members were being treated well, the AP reported.