TEHRAN – The Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) recently thwarted an attempt by the United States to pirate a tanker carrying the Islamic Republic’s oil in the Sea of Oman, Iranian news agencies reported Wednesday, saying the incident happened recently.
National broadcaster IRIB said U.S. forces used helicopters and warships to try to block a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Sea of Oman. Iran’s English-Language Press TV said the tanker is back in Iran’s territorial waters.
Iran has repeatedly warned the United States about its military activities in the Persian Gulf, saying that the IRGC naval forces have increased patrols to also secure the passage of Iranian ships and combat fuel smuggling.
Giving details of the reported incident, Press TV said the IRGC’s naval forces reacted “promptly” when the Iranian oil tanker was pirated in the Sea of Oman, with American forces trying to unload the cargo to another tanker and direct it to an unknown destination.
“Members of the IRGC naval forces carried out a heliborne operation on the detained tanker’s deck, gained control of the vessel, and directed it back toward Iran’s territorial waters,” the television reported.
U.S. forces then proceeded to chase the tanker using several helicopters and warships, but their attempt at taking over the vessel for a second time was thwarted again by Iranian naval forces.
Later Wednesday, the IRGC later releases detailed footage of its confrontation late last month.
Reached for comment, the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said it had seen reports of the incident but at present had no information to provide, Reuters said.
Iran’s Petroleum Minister Javad Owji personally thanks the IRGC for rescuing an oil cargo from “American pirates.”
“I express my gratitude towards the Corps’ death-defying forces,” he said in a message later Wednesday.
The minister said “Iran’s enemies” had resorted to acts of piracy after realizing that the Islamic Republic was determined to export its fuel despite the sanctions.
“By Gods grace.... such incidents will have no effect other than to strengthen the resolve of those who serve the people to overcome the enemies’ restrictions,” Owji’s message said.
In a congratulatory message, the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees said the IRGC’s operation amounted to “a new engagement equation” established in the region, Lebanon’s Al-Ahed news website reported.
“The enemies of the Iranian nation only understand the language of confrontation, the exact thing that the IRGC staged today against the U.S. Navy,” the message added.
The U.S. imposed its most draconian sanctions on Iran three years

ago with the express aim of bringing the country’s oil exports down to zero after Washington abandoned an international nuclear deal with Tehran.
No matter how hard it tried, the U.S. did not achieve its goal and Iran continued sending its oil to the market – though in reduced volumes - using innovative ways to bypass the illegal sanctions.
However, the “tyrannical” U.S. sanctions deprived Iran of 1.8 billion barrels of oil exports and more than $100 billion of revenues, Owji told the first OPEC Plus meeting since being named to the new post.
Oil markets are closely watching Vienna negotiations which have been suspended since mid-June, for any clues as to when the OPEC member will be able to resume crude sales.
Owji has said Iran will return to its pre-sanctions crude production level as soon as the U.S. sanctions are removed. Petroleum ministry officials have said they are confident most output could be restored within a month.
He said recently that “good things will happen in terms of oil sales in the coming months”.