Iran has detained a second oil ship in a week, according to US officials. A Panama-flagged oil ship was taken in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to the Navy.
The ship was recognized as the Niovi, a crude oil tanker with a freight capacity of 300,000 metric tons, by the Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
The ship departed Dubai on Tuesday bound for Fujairah, a key oil center in the region. Early the next morning, about 6:20 a.m. The vessel was assaulted by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) about 10 a.m. local time.
A video made available by the U.S. A dozen IRGCN fast-attack vessels swarm the warship in the center of the strait, according to the Navy.
The IRGCN "forced the oil tanker to reverse course and head toward Iranian territorial waters off the coast of Bandar 'Abbas, Iran," according to the Navy.
"Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the 5th Fleet stated in a statement. "Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are unwarranted, irresponsible, and a present threat to maritime security and the global economy."
The seizure was not immediately acknowledged by Iran.
Iran captured a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the Advantage Sweet, in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, carrying a load of crude oil for Chevron.
The IRGCN used a helicopter to board the ship and compel it to dock in Bandar 'Abbas.
In recent weeks, the United States has imposed sanctions on Iran for a variety of reasons, including its brutal crackdown on rallies, drone sales to Russia, and the long-standing issue of its continued nuclear weapons development program.
Sanctions included visa restrictions on Iranian officials for suspected human rights violations in Iran, as well as the seizure of a shipment of Iranian oil on the Suez Rajan, a 158,000-ton capacity tanker, in a sanctions enforcement operation.
Iran's attacks on commercial ships in Gulf waters began after the US withdrew from Iran's nuclear accord and have subsequently flared up at periods of tension between the two countries.
