Iran seized a Vietnamese oil tanker in front of a US ship. Armed conflict touched upon
US officials accuse Iran of hijacking a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker on October 24, identified by the Associated Press as MV Southys. The Iranian and Vietnamese governments are negotiating his release.
This follows a similar scenario last year earlier this year that led to the IRGC releasing a South Korean oil tanker, after Seoul agreed to release over $ 9 billion worth of Iranian assets.
The AP details the Washington version of events as follows:
The numerous paramilitary vehicles of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on October 24 took control of MV Southys, a ship that analysts suspect is trying to transfer sanctioned Iranian crude oil to Asia, under fire. US forces had monitored the hijacking, but ultimately took no action as the ship sailed through Iranian waters.
Iran celebrated the capture of the ship in dramatic footage broadcast on state television the day before the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran.
Interestingly, Iran presented the video in question as "proof" that it was actually a US Navy warship attempting to seize Iranian oil.
Looking back at this footage, #Iran 's IRGC was pushing the envelope in how close it got to the US Navy in this incident with the Southy. #OOTT 1/2 pic.twitter.com/GFvX47r9bl
– Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) November 3, 2021
Regardless of the conflicting narratives and accusations, it remains that the footage shows the US and Iranian naval forces approaching within a very short distance, reaching the edge of the open armed conflict.
Since then, Western experts have expressed shock at how close the US Navy allowed Iranian patrol boats and armed helicopters to get close to theirs …
Iranian navy boats seized a tanker in the gulf of Oman last month, a US navy destroyer watched it unfold and took no action, Iranian boats even surrounded and pointed their guns at the US destroyer. #Iran #US pic.twitter.com/OP72NuCYJR
– CNW (@ConflictsW) November 3, 2021
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby called Iran's claims "false". The AP writes: “ When asked about the allegation of US aggression by Iran, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said it was false and that it was Iran that had seized what he described as a merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman on October 24th . "
Meanwhile, stalled nuclear talks in Vienna still hang in the balance, with Iran announcing this week that it will meet at the negotiating table on 29 November. But as these recent "tank war" incidents near the Iranian coast, which often also involve Israeli forces, show, anything could happen between now and the end of the month, even an armed confrontation. This would make the area a veritable powder keg.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new articles of Economic Scenarios.
The article Iran seized a Vietnamese oil tanker in front of a US ship. Touched upon the armed conflict comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/liran-ha-sequestrato-una-petroliera-vietnamita-di-fronte-ad-una-nave-usa-sfiorato-il-conflitto-armato/ on Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:00:42 +0000.