Pentagon denies Iran's claims that US tried to detain tanker
04 November, 2021
The Pentagon has denied claims Iranian forces thwarted an attempt by the US to detain a tanker carrying Iran’s oil in the Sea of Oman.
US officials said it was Iran's Revolutionary Guards who seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker last month, while US naval forces were just monitoring the situation.
"I've seen the Iranian claims, they are absolutely totally false and untrue ... it's a bogus claim," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
"The only seizing that was done was by Iran," Kirby said.
In a statement published by Iranian state media on Wednesday, Iran's elite guards said: "With the timely and authoritative action of the guards’ naval forces, the US terrorist Navy's operation to steal Iranian oil in the Sea of Oman failed.
"The tanker carrying Iran's oil docked at the port of Bandar Abbas on October 25."
Iranian media identified the seized tanker as "SOTHYS" - the name tanker-tracking websites give for a Vietnam-flagged vessel - while state TV aired footage showing a red tanker surrounded by about 10 speedboats.
It also included a recording of what state TV said was the encounter between Iranian and US forces.
Iran has repeatedly warned the US about its military activities in the Gulf, saying the guards' naval forces have increased patrols to also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com