Iranian forces boarded a Liberian-flagged tanker in the international waters of the Persian Gulf on August 13, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a brief media post.
CENTCOM, a US combatant command operating mainly in the Middle East, said Iranian forces, including two ships and a Sea King helicopter, overtook and boarded a chemical tanker called the Wila.
The US military did not provide additional info about the event.
A Reuters report said the Wila was eventually released, without US involvement other than monitoring. According to AIS data, the vessel is currently anchored at Khor Fakkan, in the United Arab Emirates.
Dryad Global, a marine security firm also reported the incident, adding that Iranian forces were believed to have potentially attempted to interdict another two vessels in the Persian Gulf. The firm elaborated that Wila may have been targeted due to previous links to Greek companies that were sanctioned by the US Department of Justice for their involvement in the shipment of Iranian oil to Venezuela.
