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Added on the 19/07/2019 20:27:06 - Copyright : Euronews EN
The British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero docks in Dubai after sailing from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas where it was held for more than two months, according to pool reports and a tracking website. IMAGES
Gunboats believed to be from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard shot at a Singaporean-flagged tanker as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to CNBC News and CNN, citing US officials. The five gunboats ordered the Alpine Eternity to halt. When the captain refused, the gunboats fired across the bow. Iranian fast boats are typically equipped with 50-caliber machine guns.NBC News reported the Iranian gunboats also fired at the stern, in an apparent attempt to disable the propellers of the Alpine Eternity. When Emirati ships approached, the gunboats turned back toward Iran. The Alpine Eternity sought refuge in UAE waters.
The United States demands that Iran immediately release a ship seized off Oman's coast in avowed retaliation for US actions. "The Iranian government must immediately release the ship and its crew. This unlawful seizure of a commercial vessel is just the latest behavior by Iran or enabled by Iran aimed at disrupting international commerce," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
The United States calls for Iran to free a Panama-flagged oil tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz, the second vessel Tehran's forces have taken control of in a week. "Iran's harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional and international waters are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional stability and security," says State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel during a press briefing. SOUNDBITE
British ministers and the Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter arrive at the Cabinet Office on Whitehall ahead of a meeting of Britain's emergencies committee over the seizure of a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf. IMAGES
The United States military claims Iranian naval vessels conducted rocket tests within 1,500 yards of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz last week.