Iran seized Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, alleges US Navy

The US Navy has alleged that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet in a statement said, Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and the oil tanker should release immediately. 

The tanker had reportedly come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston, Texas and according to the



shipping database of International Maritime Organization, it is owned by a China-registered company.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that the oil tanker had collided with an Iranian boat and injured several crew members.The incident came days after the US, Britain and the European Union toughened sanctions against Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps over human rights violations.