Iran seizes ship traveling under U.S. guard

USS Farragut

The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday a cargo ship sailing the Strait of Hormuz under the protection of the United States was actually fired upon and boarded by Iranian officials.

The Maersk Tigris, flagged as a Marshall Islands ship, was heading through the well-traversed waters when six Iranian patrol boats tried to force it into deeper Iranian ocean territory, the Washington Examiner reported. The shipmaster of the Tigris refused the order and at least one of the Iranian vessels then fired upon it, the news outlet said, citing Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren.

Tigris then sent a distress signal and authorities with the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command ordered the USS Farragut destroyer to the scene.

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Warren said there weren’t any Americans aboard the Tigris. CNBC reported the Iranian navy seized the Tigris after being ordered to do so by the Iran Ports Authority, and under a court order. Reuters reported the United States is monitoring the situation from the sky, also, and has sent at least one plane to the area.

The State Department says the United States maintains authority over securing and defending the Marshall Islands.

 

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