Oil tanker is boarded by ‘military men’ in the Gulf of Oman – a day after UK and US war ships shot down rockets from Iran-backed rebels in the Red Sea

According to reports from naval organizations, an oil tanker was boarded by ‘six soldiers’ in the Gulf of Oman this morning.

Details remained unclear about what apparently was the latest seizure of a ship in the Middle East’s tense waterways, which came the day after British and American warships shot down missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea .

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which issues warnings to sailors in the Middle East, said the incident started early in the morning.

It said the boarding of the vessel – named the St. Nikolas oil and chemical tanker – took place in the waters between Oman and Iran, 50 nautical miles east of Oman’s Sohar.

The area is crossed by ships sailing in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow estuary of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.

The British Army’s Maritime Trade Operations said the incident began early in the morning, in the waters between Oman and Iran, 50 nautical miles east of Oman’s Sohar.

The Maltese-flagged ship was once called the Suez Rajan and was embroiled in a years-long dispute that eventually saw the US Department of Justice seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.

The British military-run UKMTO described receiving a report from the ship’s safety manager in which he and the ship’s captain heard “unknown voices over the telephone.” It said further attempts to contact the ship had been unsuccessful.

UKMTO said it was unable to make further contact with the ship at this time and that authorities were investigating the incident.

Private intelligence firm Ambrey said “six military personnel” boarded the ship, identified as the oil tanker St. Nikolas.

It said the men covered the surveillance cameras when they boarded the plane.

The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press about the incident.

Iran and Oman did not immediately recognize the boarding.

Since the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal, the waters around the strait have seen a series of ship seizures by Iran, as well as attacks on shipping that the navy blames on Tehran.

Iran and the navy have also had a series of tense encounters on the waterway, although recent attention has focused on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking ships in the Red Sea amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The United States and its allies have also seized Iranian oil shipments since 2019.

That has led to a series of attacks in the Middle East blamed on the Islamic Republic, as well as ship seizures by Iranian military and paramilitary forces that threaten global shipping.

The St. Nikolas was previously called the Suez Rajan, associated with the Greek shipping company Empire Navigation.

Attention began to focus on the Suez Rajan in February 2022, when the group United Against Nuclear Iran said it suspected the tanker was carrying oil from Iran’s Khargh Island, the main oil distribution terminal in the Persian Gulf.

Satellite photos and shipping data analyzed by the Associated Press at the time supported the claim.

The ship lay in the South China Sea off the northeast coast of Singapore for months before suddenly sailing without explanation to the coast of Texas.

The Maltese-flagged ship was once called the Suez Rajan and was embroiled in a years-long dispute that eventually saw the US Department of Justice seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.

The ship offloaded its cargo in August to another tanker, which released its oil in Houston as part of a Justice Department order.

In September, Empire Navigation pleaded guilty to smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine in a case involving the tanker Suez Rajan, which carried about 1 million barrels of oil.

Thursday’s seizure comes amid high tensions in the Middle East’s seas, and after British and American warships intercepted Houthi missiles.

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group – an Iran-backed militia – has been targeting merchant ships in the Red Sea for months, forcing a coalition of countries including Britain and the US to deploy warships to protect them.

The rebels say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But their targets are becoming increasingly indiscriminate, raising the risk of a US retaliatory attack on Yemen.

The attacks are disrupting maritime trade through the Suez Canal – a crucial route connecting Europe to Asia and the Middle East – causing delays and price increases for consumers.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps warned the Houthis on Wednesday to end their attacks after HMS Diamond, a £1 billion Type 45 destroyer known as the jewel of the Royal Navy, shot down the targets with a barrage of Sea Viper- rockets.

American fighter jets were also involved in the operation.

Dramatic footage showed the moment the British Destroyer shot down the huge wave of missiles and drones fired by the rebels.

Personnel aboard HMS Diamond shoot down drones fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels

Shapps told Sky News there was “no doubt” that Tehran was involved and supplied weapons and intelligence.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “We must be clear to the Houthis that this must stop and that is my simple message to them today: watch this space.”

He also told reporters: “It is my understanding that both the ship itself may have been targeted… but also that there is a general attack on all shipping (in the region).”

Schapps called the Houthi attack “the largest yet” and said Britain had taken action to “protect innocent lives and the global economy.” He said none of the crew from HMS Diamond were injured.