The oil tanker Stena Imperative, associated with the United States, was challenged by small armed vessels assigned to Iran while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, off Oman.
According to maritime safety information, the boats contacted the ship by radio and ordered it to stop the engines to allow an approach. The ship did not obey: it increased its speed and continued its journey, with the indication that it did not enter Iranian territorial waters.
After the episode, the Stena Imperative began sailing under the escort of a North American warship. The incident once again exposes the fragility of security on one of the world’s most critical routes for the transport of oil and gas, at a time of increased tension between Tehran and Washington.
