British navy group: 'Potential hijack' of ship off UAE coast

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DUBAI – The British navy warned of a “potential hijack” of a vessel disconnected the seashore of the United Arab Emirates successful the Gulf of Oman connected Tuesday, though the circumstances remained unclear.

The incidental comes amid heightened tensions betwixt Iran and the West implicit Tehran's tattered atomic woody with satellite powers and arsenic commercialized shipping successful the portion has recovered itself caught successful the crosshairs. Most recently, the U.S., the U.K. and Israel person blamed Iran for a drone onslaught connected an lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Oman that killed 2 people. Iran has denied involvement.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially warned ships Tuesday that “an incidental is presently underway" disconnected the seashore of Fujairah. Hours later, the authorities said the incidental was a “potential hijack," but provided nary further details.

Shipping authorization Lloyd’s List and maritime quality steadfast Dryad Global some identified the vas progressive successful the incidental arsenic Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess. The vessel's owner, listed arsenic Emirati escaped zone-based Glory International, could not instantly beryllium reached for remark precocious Tuesday.

Satellite-tracking information for the vas showed it dilatory heading toward Iranian waters disconnected the larboard of Jask aboriginal Wednesday, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The U.S. military’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet and the British Defense Ministry besides did not instantly instrumentality calls for comment. The Emirati authorities did not instantly admit the incident.

Earlier, six lipid tankers announced astir the aforesaid clip via their Automatic Identification System trackers that they were “not nether command,” according to MarineTraffic.com. That typically means a vas has mislaid powerfulness and tin nary longer steer.

“At the aforesaid time, if they are successful the aforesaid vicinity and successful the aforesaid place, past precise seldom that happens,” said Ranjith Raja, an lipid and shipping adept with information steadfast Refintiv. “Not each the vessels would suffer their engines oregon their capableness to steer astatine the aforesaid time."

One of the vessels aboriginal began moving.

An Oman Royal Air Force Airbus C-295MPA, a maritime patrol aircraft, flew successful circles for hours implicit the waters, according to information from FlightRadar24.com.

Apparently responding to the incident, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh called the caller maritime attacks successful the Persian Gulf “completely suspicious.” He denied that Iran was involved.

"Iran’s naval forces are acceptable for assistance and rescue successful the region,” Khatibzadeh said.

From Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters it was “too aboriginal for america to connection a judgement conscionable yet” astir the events unfolding successful the Gulf of Oman. But citing the caller battle connected an lipid tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire that killed 2 unit members successful adjacent waters, Price said, “We person seen a precise disturbing signifier of belligerence from Iran, including belligerence successful the maritime domain.”

The West has blamed Iran for launching the drone onslaught past week connected the lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Oman, which marked the archetypal known onslaught to person killed civilians successful the yearslong shadiness warfare targeting commercialized vessels successful the region. Iran denied playing immoderate role, though Tehran and its allied militias person utilized akin “suicide” drones successful past attacks.

Israel, the United States and United Kingdom person vowed an unspecified “collective response” to the attack.

The Gulf of Oman is adjacent the Strait of Hormuz, the constrictive rima of the Persian Gulf done which a 5th of each lipid passes. Fujairah, connected the UAE’s eastbound coast, is simply a main larboard successful the portion for ships to instrumentality connected caller lipid cargo, prime up supplies oregon commercialized retired crew.

For the past 2 years, the waters disconnected Fujairah person seen a bid of explosions and hijackings. The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for a bid of limpet excavation attacks connected vessels that damaged tankers.

In July 2019, Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero successful the Strait of Hormuz arsenic it was headed from the Iranian larboard of Bandar Abbas to Dubai. The raid came aft authorities successful Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, seized an Iranian supertanker carrying $130 cardinal successful crude lipid connected suspicion it was breaking European Union sanctions by taking the lipid to Syria. Both vessels were aboriginal released.

Last year, an lipid tanker sought by the U.S. implicit allegedly circumventing sanctions connected Iran was hijacked disconnected the Emirati seashore successful July, pursuing months of tensions betwixt Iran and the U.S. The vas and its unit ended up successful Iran, though Tehran ne'er acknowledged the incident.

And successful January, equipped Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops stormed a South Korean tanker and forced the vessel to alteration people and question to Iran. While Iran insisted it stopped the vessel for polluting, it came arsenic Tehran sought to summation its leverage implicit Seoul up of negotiations implicit billions of dollars successful Iranian assets frozen successful South Korean banks.

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DeBre reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi successful Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee successful Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow Isabel DeBre and Jon Gambrell connected Twitter astatine www.twitter.com/isabeldebre and www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

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