Iranian Gunboats Tried To Stop A US Tanker In The Strait Of Hormuz
- 3.02.2026, 22:28
IRGC boats threatened to board.
Armed Iranian boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) approached the U.S. oil tanker Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz on February 3 and threatened to board it. This was reported by the U.S. Central Command, CBS News.
According to Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, the USS McFaul soon arrived at the scene of the incident and escorted the tanker to safety with the support of U.S. aircraft. The vessel continued on its way.
British maritime security company Vanguard Tech notified clients that six Iranian armed boats approached the tanker and ordered it to stop for inspection, the WSJ reported.
The attempt to board the U.S.-flagged tanker was also reported by UK Maritime Trade Operations, part of the UK Royal Navy, on social media X. "Numerous small armed vessels contacted the vessel via VHF radio. The vessel ignored the request to stop and continued on its planned route," the report said.
According to the MarineTraffic service, the tanker is now in the waters of the Persian Gulf. It is traveling from Singapore to Bahrain.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key bottlenecks of the world economy, primarily because of oil and gas. The only sea exit from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean passes through it. In 2024, about 20 million barrels of oil and oil products per day flow through the Strait - that's about 20% of global consumption and more than a quarter of all seaborne oil trade. About one-fifth of the global LNG market also passes through Hormuz, mostly exports from Qatar and the UAE.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch a new military strike against Iran over the brutal crackdown on recent protests in the country or if Iran refuses to negotiate a new nuclear agreement. In late January, Trump said he had sent a U.S. force - a "huge armada" led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln - to Iran. The head of the White House called on Tehran to conclude a "fair and equitable" agreement without nuclear weapons, otherwise the republic, according to Trump, faces a more powerful blow than in the summer of 2025.