Concern over
 ‘hijack’ of oil tanker in the 
Gulf of Oman

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied that Iranian forces or allies were involved in action against any ship off the Gulf coast.

Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf, three maritime security sources said, after Britain’s maritime trade agency reported a “potential hijack” in the area on Tuesday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied that Iranian forces or allies were involved in action against any ship off the Gulf coast, saying the incident was a pretext for “hostile action” against Tehran, state television reported on its website.

Two of the maritime sources identified the seized vessel as the Panama-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil exports.

The vessel’s owner, listed as UAE free zone-based Glory International, could not immediately be reached for comment.