ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Armed vessels attempted to intercept a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Tuesday, as the US military linked the boats to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and confirmed that an American warplane had also shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea.
The developments come as the White House confirmed Tuesday that Washington and Tehran remain scheduled to hold talks later this week.
UKMTO said Tuesday it had “received a report of an incident 16 [nautical miles] NM north of Oman” in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that a US-flagged vessel was hailed by “numerous small armed vessels” that urged it to stop, but the tanker “continued on its planned route.”
The British maritime authority said investigations into the incident are underway and advised vessels in the area to “transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
Later in the day, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that “two IRGC boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached M/V Stena Imperative at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker.”
CENTCOM added that the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74), which was operating in the area, “immediately responded to the scene to escort M/V Stena Imperative with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force.” The situation subsequently de-escalated, and the US-flagged tanker is proceeding safely, the statement said.
Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in a statement that a US fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln had “shot down” an Iranian drone “in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.”
He added that the drone had “aggressively approached” the carrier with “unclear intent” and “continued to fly toward the ship despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters.”
The Strait of Hormuz, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, handling a significant portion of global oil shipments. Iran has seized ships in the area in the past, including one last year that Tehran said was linked to Israel.