Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, Ramazan Zarahi, accused the U.S. Navy on Monday of defending fuel smuggling in the Gulf by attempting to intervene when Iran intercepted a ship last week.
In statements broadcasted by the Tasnim News Agency, he said, "Members of the Revolutionary Guard Navy were searching a ship named 'Nada 2' on July 6, involved in smuggling Iranian oil and gas in the Persian Gulf, which the Americans sought to prevent through a series of unprofessional and reckless actions."
Zarahi added, "The Americans launched several aircraft, including two A-10 fighters, and tried until the last moment to prevent the ship's seizure, but it was ultimately brought to Bushehr port for legal proceedings."
On July 7, the Fars News Agency reported that the Revolutionary Guard had detained a ship carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel, with 12 crew members, based on a court order.
Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, stated last week that the U.S. Navy monitored the interception of the ship in international waters but decided not to take any further action in response.
This incident is one of several involving Iranian forces and maritime operations in the Gulf last week. In another incident, the U.S. Navy reported that Iranian naval personnel fired several warning shots at the ship "Richmond Voyager," which flies the Bahamian flag and is operated by American oil giant Chevron, after Tehran claimed the vessel was involved in a collision that injured five crew members of an Iranian ship.
Chevron denied the tanker’s involvement in any collision, stating that it had not been notified of any legal actions or court orders from Iran regarding the ship.
