Iran TV airs footage of commandos seizing US-bound tanker
Iran TV airs footage of commandos seizing US-bound tanker
This frame grab from video footage released Friday April 28, 2023 by the Iranian Navy, shows the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker’s deck in the Gulf of Oman. Iran’s navy seized the oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. (Iranian Navy via AP)
In this photo provided by Cavit Ege Tulca, the oil tanker Advantage Sweet passes through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 23, 2022. Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, April 27, 2023, heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. (Cavit Ege Tulca via AP)
This frame grab from video footage released Friday April 28, 2023 by the Iranian Navy, shows the Advantage Sweet oil tanker’s deck in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state TV footage shows how masked Iranian navy commandos conducted a helicopter-borne raid to seize a U.S.-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The TV aired the footage on Friday. The capture took place on Thursday. The taking of the Turkish-managed, Chinese-owned Advantage Sweet represents the latest seizure by Iran amid tensions with the U.S. over Tehran’s advancing nuclear program. (Iranian Navy via AP)
This frame grab from video footage released Friday April 28, 2023 by the Iranian Navy, shows the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker’s deck in the Gulf of Oman. Iran’s navy seized the oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. (Iranian Navy via AP)
This frame grab from video footage released Friday April 28, 2023 by the Iranian Navy, shows the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker’s deck in the Gulf of Oman. Iran’s navy seized the oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. (Iranian Navy via AP)
In this photo provided by Cavit Ege Tulca, the oil tanker Advantage Sweet passes through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 23, 2022. Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, April 27, 2023, heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. (Cavit Ege Tulca via AP)
In this photo provided by Cavit Ege Tulca, the oil tanker Advantage Sweet passes through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 23, 2022. Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, April 27, 2023, heading to the U.S. amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. (Cavit Ege Tulca via AP)
This frame grab from video footage released Friday April 28, 2023 by the Iranian Navy, shows the Advantage Sweet oil tanker’s deck in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state TV footage shows how masked Iranian navy commandos conducted a helicopter-borne raid to seize a U.S.-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The TV aired the footage on Friday. The capture took place on Thursday. The taking of the Turkish-managed, Chinese-owned Advantage Sweet represents the latest seizure by Iran amid tensions with the U.S. over Tehran’s advancing nuclear program. (Iranian Navy via AP)
This frame grab from video footage released Friday April 28, 2023 by the Iranian Navy, shows the Advantage Sweet oil tanker’s deck in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state TV footage shows how masked Iranian navy commandos conducted a helicopter-borne raid to seize a U.S.-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The TV aired the footage on Friday. The capture took place on Thursday. The taking of the Turkish-managed, Chinese-owned Advantage Sweet represents the latest seizure by Iran amid tensions with the U.S. over Tehran’s advancing nuclear program. (Iranian Navy via AP)
Masked Iranian navy commandos conducted a helicopter-borne raid to seize a U.S.-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, footage aired by Iran’s state television showed Friday.
The capture on Thursday of the Turkish-managed, Chinese-owned Advantage Sweet represents the latest seizure by Iran amid tensions with the U.S. over advancing nuclear program. While Tehran says the tanker was seized over it running into another Iranian vessel, it has provided no evidence yet to support the claim — and the Islamic Republic has taken other ships as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.
The footage showed the commandos descending on the deck of the Advantage Sweet by ropes from a hovering helicopter. A photograph showed one commando with his fist in the air after apparently taking the vessel.
The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet has said the Iranian seizure was at least the fifth commercial vessel taken by Tehran in the last two years.
“Iran’s continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy,” it added.
The vessel’s manager, a Turkish firm called Advantage Tankers, issued a statement acknowledging the Advantage Sweet was “being escorted by the Iranian navy to a port on the basis of an international dispute.” All the ship’s 24 crew members are Indian.
“The safety and welfare of our valued crew members is our No. 1 priority,” the firm said. “Similar experiences show that crew members of vessels taken under such circumstances are in no danger.”