Armed speedboats from the Revolutionary Guard tried to board a tanker on one of the world's most sensitive energy routes. The US replied with a naval escort
The Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of the oil consumed in the world passes, has been a recurring stage for Iranian provocations. Last week, a senior naval official of the Revolutionary Guard openly threatened to block passage in the event of a United States attack, a warning that analysts interpret as a form of political and economic pressure.
The Iranian regime carried out a new episode of maritime harassment by intercepting an oil tanker linked to the United States in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, one of the main arteries of global energy trade. The incident occurred on Tuesday and once again set off alarms in the region, amid still-uncertain nuclear negotiations.
According to the British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech, the tanker Stena Imperative was intercepted by gunboats from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard while it was sailing approximately 16 nautical miles north of Oman, in international waters.
According to the report, three pairs of small armed boats communicated by radio with the tanker and ordered the captain to "shut down the engines and prepare to be boarded." Far from complying with the instruction, the vessel increased its speed and maintained its course, thus avoiding direct contact.
Vanguard Tech emphasized that Stena Imperative did not enter Iranian territorial waters at any time, dismantling any attempt at legal justification by Tehran. After the incident, the tanker began to be escorted by a United States warship, a clear signal of support and deterrence from Washington.
The episode was not an isolated one. That same day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that another vessel transiting the strait was contacted by radio by "numerous small armed boats", although without major consequences.
Stena Imperative is not an unknown ship to Western forces. The United States Pacific Fleet had already mentioned it previously as part of resupply operations during joint naval exercises with Japan, which reinforces its strategic nature.
The incident is occurring while Iran and the United States prepare to resume talks on the Iranian nuclear program. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that he has instructed his foreign minister to seek "fair" negotiations, although conditioned on the absence of "threats," a usual rhetoric of the regime.
From Washington, President Donald Trump was blunt. "We are talking to Iran, and if we could work something out, that would be great. And if not, probably bad things would happen", he warned from the Oval Office, making it clear that United States patience has limits.
In parallel, special envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling across the Middle East and is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a context of strategic coordination vis-à-vis Tehran.
