DUBAI • Iran said yesterday it came to the assistance of a foreign oil tanker that broke down in the Strait of Hormuz, as international concern mounts over the fate of an Emirati- linked ship that went missing in Iranian waters three days ago.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Abbas Mousavi, said that the tanker was approached by Iranian forces after sending out a distress call and was towed into Iranian waters for repairs.
"A foreign oil tanker encountered a problem in the Persian Gulf due to technical failure, and Iranian forces, in accordance with international regulations, rushed to help it after receiving a distress call," Mr Mousavi was quoted by Iranian media yesterday as saying.
Iran then "pulled it towards Iranian waters with a tugboat in order to carry out the necessary repairs", Mr Mousavi said, adding that more information on the incident would be announced later.
His remarks followed reports that the Panama-flagged Riah, an oil tanker based in the United Arab Emirates, disappeared in Iranian waters late on Saturday.
Shipping tracking data showed that it was on its way to Sharjah in the UAE before it stopped transmitting its position off the coast of Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil choke point.
Both Emirati and US officials said that the Riah, a small oil-products tanker, did not send out a distress call. A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said on Tuesday that the US military was aware of the disappearance and had no additional information to share at this time.
There were conflicting reports about the ownership of the Riah, but according to Equasis, a shipping industry database, it is operated by Prime Tankers in Dubai.
In Washington, Mr Mark Esper, US President Donald Trump's nominee to become his new defence secretary, said at a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the US military and allied forces have established Operation Sentinel to patrol the Persian Gulf region's waters.
Since May, at least six vessels have been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic body of water connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that carries a considerable amount of oil traffic, in incidents that the United States has blamed on Iran.
Britain said last week that Iranian naval forces attempted to block a British oil tanker traversing the strait, but were repelled by a navy frigate escorting the ship.
WASHINGTON POST
