DUBAI, Feb 3 - Maritime risk management sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday that a group of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, north of Oman. The vessel named Stena Imperative was reportedly ordered to stop its engine and make ready to be boarded before it was able to speed up and continue on its passage, Vanguard, a maritime risk management group, said.
According to the same maritime risk group, the tanker did not enter Iranian internal territorial waters during the encounter and was accompanied by a U.S. warship as it continued its voyage. An American official confirmed the vessel was U.S.-flagged.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) earlier issued a notice saying that a group of armed boats had attempted to intercept a vessel 16 nautical miles (30 km) north of Oman. UKMTO did not identify the vessel or the identity of the boats involved and said it was investigating the incident, which occurred in the inbound Traffic Separation Scheme of the Strait of Hormuz.
Later on Tuesday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency cited unnamed Iranian officials who said a vessel had entered Iranian territorial waters without required legal permits, was warned, and subsequently left the area "without any special security event taking place." The report did not provide additional operational details beyond that account.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea beyond. OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq transport the bulk of their crude oil exports through the strait, primarily to Asian destinations, a detail that underscores the waterway’s commercial importance.
The incident follows a recent pattern of maritime confrontations in and near the strait. The account notes that three vessels - two seized in 2023 and one in 2024 - were taken by Iran near or in the strait. The reporting also states that some of those seizures took place after U.S. seizures of tankers tied to Iran.
This episode, as reported by maritime security sources and regional agencies, includes contrasting official statements on whether territorial waters were entered and whether any formal security incident occurred. Investigations by maritime authorities cited in the original reports are ongoing to clarify the circumstances and sequence of events.
Contextual note: The information above is drawn from maritime sources, a security consultancy, a U.S. official confirmation of the vessel’s flag, a U.K. maritime operations notice, and statements attributed to unnamed Iranian officials via a semi-official news agency.