Iran seizes oil tanker linked to crisis between US and Tehran, military officials confirm

 Iranian forces have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, two US military officials confirmed to Fox News on Thursday.

The seized ship, previously known as the Suez Rajon, was once at the center of another dispute between the US and Iran, which ultimately saw the US seize more than 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. Armed Iranian soldiers reportedly boarded the ship on Thursday morning.

US and other Western navies have been fighting attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in the Red Sea for several weeks, but Iran itself has taken no direct action other than sending its naval vessels to the region. The Houthis were a designated foreign terrorist organization by the State Department until February 2021, when the designation was revoked by the Biden administration.

The US Navy has shot down several missiles and drones fired by the Houthi rebels. US Navy helicopters also fired on and sank several Houthi small boats while attempting to hijack a merchant ship last month.

Iran deployed the Alvand-class destroyer Alborz to the Red Sea on January 1. The ship was part of the 34th Fleet of the Iranian Navy and patrolled the Gulf of Aden, the North Indian Ocean and the Bab al-Mandab. According to Iran's Press TV, the strait dates back to 2015.

Iran's seizure comes just a day after the Houthis launched their biggest-ever attack on international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea.

On January 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. Local time, Iranian-backed Houthis launched unmanned aerial attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. This happened while dozens of merchant ships were transiting.

In a statement posted to X, US Central Command said that the United States military presence in the Red Sea was able to prevent any injuries or damage.

Nevertheless, many international shipping companies have diverted their ships away from the Red Sea amid the ongoing attacks, causing delays. If ships did not go through the Red Sea they would have to travel south around Africa.