U.S. officials seized four tankers loaded with Iranian fuel and transported them to a port in Houston.
A U.S. official confirmed the seizure of the four ships, called the Bering, Bella, Luna and Pandi, in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, and further stated that the craft was seized without the use of military force. It was not immediately clear where the seizures took place or what U.S. agencies were involved.
The Department of Justice declined to comment to the Journal on the seizures. The tankers are all thought to be part of a scheme set up by an Iranian businessman affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Tensions between the US and Iran have remained unresolved for months following a US strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, in January while traveling near Baghdad airport in Iraq, as well as a retaliatory strike. on a basis that included U.S. troops.
Iranian troops on Wednesday briefly seized an oil tanker marked with a Liberian flag off the Strait of Hormuz, detaining it for several hours before releasing it.
“The use by Iran of its military troops to conduct an armed boarding of a commercial ship in international waters is a blatant violation of international law that undermines freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade,” the International Maritime Security Construct replied. (IMSC) in a statement retweeted by US Central Command on Thursday. “We call on Iran to articulate the legal basis for its actions to the international community. This kind of reckless, aggressive behavior by Iran destabilizes the region and threatens the rules based on international order. ”
At a private fundraiser the last few days, President Trump
Donald John TrumpNew Bob Woodward book will contain details of 25 personal letters between Trump and Kim Jong Un On The Money: Pelosi, Mnuchin talk, but make no progress on ending stalemate | Trump seizes ‘third track’ of policy with payroll tax break | Trump uses racist tropes to repeat honest housing to ‘suburban housewife’. Biden commemorates anniversary of Charlottesville’s ‘Unite the Right’ rally: ‘We are in a battle for the soul of our nation’ MORE promised to deal with Iranian leaders within days of his reelection, he would defeat former vice president Joe Biden
Joe BidenRon Johnson signals some GOP senators worried about his probes during the Obama era On The Money: Pelosi, Mnuchin talk, but make no progress in ending stalmate | Trump seizes ‘third track’ of policy with payroll tax break | Trump uses racist tropes to repeat honest housing to ‘suburban housewife’. Biden commemorates anniversary of Charlottesville’s ‘Unite the Right’ rally: ‘We are in a battle for the soul of our nation’ MORE (D) in November, according to video first reported by Jewish Insider.
“If we win,” the president says in the video, “we will have a deal [with Iran] within four weeks. ”
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