Iranian boats wanted to intercept a US tanker

A fighter jet shot down a drone approaching the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea

Six armed Iranian boats approached the US-flagged tanker Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman on the morning of February 3, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources and data from the consulting company Vanguard Tech. According to her information, the boats of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demanded via VHF communication that the ship “stop the engines and prepare for boarding.”

The tanker ignored the demands, increased speed and continued moving. He was later accompanied by an American warship.

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The parties' versions differ

Iran's Fars news agency said the tanker entered Iranian territorial waters and left the area after a warning "without any significant security incidents." According to Reuters, the ship did not enter Iranian territorial waters.

The British maritime security service UKMTO also reported the incident, noting that authorities were investigating.

On the same day, according to Bloomberg, an American F-35C fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone heading towards the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. US Central Command said the drone was destroyed in self-defense because it was "aggressively approaching" the aircraft carrier with "unclear intentions."

US and Iran prepare for nuclear deal negotiations

Negotiations between the United States and Iran on the nuclear program are scheduled for February 6 in Istanbul. According to Axios, Tehran is pushing to move the meeting from Istanbul to Oman.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Iran was conducting “serious negotiations” with Washington, and a decision on further steps would be made based on their results. Before this, publications appeared in the media that the United States could attack Iran.

Let us recall that earlier “Verstka” reported that during the 12 days of the war, Iran fired more than 500 missiles at Israel, but never blocked the Strait of Hormuz because the ayatollahs were afraid of collapsing the oil market.

Photo: Tanker Stena Imperative, September 30, 2022. Wim Vrolijk/Marinetraffic

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