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Tehran’s military ‘foils’ US attempt to seize Iranian tanker in Sea of Oman Tehran’s military ‘foils’ US attempt to seize Iranian tanker in Sea of Oman
(32 minutes later)
Tehran has confirmed that Islamic Republic Revolution Guards Corps have foiled an attempt by American forces to intercept an oil tanker and the vessel is now back in Iranian waters. Iran has confirmed that its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has foiled an attempt by American forces to intercept an oil tanker, and that the vessel is now back in Iranian waters.
On Wednesday Iran’s Press TV said that the Islamic Republic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had successfully chased off American forces in the Sea of Oman, accusing the US of attempting to steal Iranian oil. Iran has confirmed reports that the US had seized its tanker and transferred oil to another vessel, which was then taken to an “unknown place.”
IRGC “thwarted” an attempt by the US to take command of a giant oil tanker and have moved the vessel back into Iranian waters, the media agency claims. Press TV’s live news show said that the US had used helicopter assets in an attempt to chase the tanker. The news channel claimed that the US were attempting to transfer oil from the Iranian tanker to another vessel.  The government said the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had taken control of the Iranian tanker in an operation using helicopters. It was then returned to Iranian waters.
Mehr News, an Iranian semi-official agency, said the event involved Iranian rapid response speed boats which overwhelmed the American forces and claimed footage would be published very soon. Earlier Iran’s state-owned Press TV said the IRGC had successfully chased off American forces in the Sea of Oman, and accused the US of attempting to steal Iranian oil.
The agency said that American forces had tried to block the movement of the tanker by placing warships in its way. The IRGC had “thwarted” an attempt by the US to take command of a giant oil tanker and moved it back into Iranian waters, the broadcaster said. Press TV’s live news show reported that helicopters had pursued the vessel.
The Iranian government confirmed the incident on Twitter. The Mehr News Agency said Iranian rapid-response speedboats had overwhelmed the American forces, and that footage would be published shortly. It reported that the US had tried to block the movement of the tanker by placing warships in its way. 
The US has banned Iranian oil exports as part of crippling series of sanctions on Tehran following the former president Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear pact, which put constraints on Iranian atomic ambitions. The US even threatened to sanction countries purchasing Iran’s oil. 
Iran has vowed to continue exporting oil, a vital source of revenue for the government, despite the American sanctions. The US has, on a number of occasions, successfully intercepted and seized vessels carrying Iranian oil.
The US barred Iranian oil exports as part of the crippling series of sanctions it imposed on Tehran following former president Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear pact, which put constraints on Iran’s atomic ambitions. The US also threatened to sanction any country that purchased Iranian oil. 
Iran has vowed to continue exporting oil – a vital source of revenue for the government – despite the sanctions. On a number of occasions, the US has successfully intercepted and seized vessels carrying Iranian oil.
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