Iran seized Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in Gulf of Oman: US officials
Iran seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last month and stills hold the vessel off Bandar Abbas, two US officials tell The Associated Press.
One of the officials says Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops took control of the MV Southys on Oct. 24 at gunpoint.
A motive for the seizure remains unclear. Officials in Vietnam could not be immediately reached for comment. Ship-tracking data shows the vessel still off Bandar Abbas.
The two US officials spoke on condition of anonymity as the information had yet to be made public amid ongoing attempts to restart talks in Vienna with Iran over its tattered nuclear deal.
The Shahid Rajaee port facility near the Iranian coastal city of Bandar Abbas. (Iran Ports and Maritime Organization)
