Shafaq News- Tehran/ Washington
American naval forces forced a Greek-flagged tanker carrying Iraqi crude oil to reverse course after it crossed the Strait of Hormuz with Iran’s approval, marking the first reported case of a non-Iranian commercial vessel being turned back at the US blockade line, semi-official Tasnim News Agency said on Tuesday.
The tanker AGOIS FANOURIOS I had transited the Strait a day earlier before entering the Sea of Oman and setting course toward Vietnam.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not directly confirmed the incident involving the vessel. However, the command indicated that US forces have redirected 65 commercial ships and disabled four vessels since the naval blockade on Iran began on April 13.
The United States and Iran continue to impose maritime restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, with the US Navy preventing vessels from entering or departing Iranian ports while Tehran maintains limits on commercial traffic through the strategic waterway, which carries around 20% of global oil supplies.
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