Armed Iranian boats attempt to intercept vessel in Strait of Hormuz

A group of armed boats attempted to intercept a vessel 16 nautical miles (29.6 km) north of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Tuesday.

The UKMTO said it is investigating the incident, which happened in the inbound Traffic Separation Scheme of the Strait of Hormuz.

Numerous small armed vessels attempted to contact the vessel via VHF radio, but it ignored requests to stop and continued on its planned route, the agency said.

Later on Tuesday, British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech has since specified the nationality of the ship and the boats that approached it.

According to the firm, a US-flagged tanker was approached and challenged by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz, before continuing on its way.

The Stena Imperative was approached by three pairs of small armed boats belonging to the Revolutionary Guards while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, approximately 16 nautical miles north of Oman, the company said.

The gunboats hailed it by radio, ordering the captain "to stop the engines and prepare to be boarded," but the ship increased speed and maintained course, the firm added, stressing it did not enter Iranian territorial waters.

"The vessel is now being escorted by a US warship," Vanguard Tech said.

The strait links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea beyond.

OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, mainly to Asia.

Three vessels, two in 2023 and one in 2024, were seized by Iran near or in the strait. Some of the seizures followed US seizures of tankers related to Iran.