From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
UK media says armed suspects believed to have seized ship in Gulf of Oman
British media reports say that the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess appears to be ship that was seized in the Gulf of Oman.
Sky News quotes an unidentified security source saying eight or nine armed suspects have apparently boarded the ship.
“It was an unauthorized boarding in the Gulf of Oman,” the source says.
A reporter at The Times cites British sources saying the current assumption is that Iranian forces or one of its proxies are aboard the vessel.
British sources believe Asphalt Princess has been hijacked. They are working on the assumption Iranian military or proxies have boarded vessel https://t.co/2eETCX9i74
— Larisa Brown (@larisamlbrown) August 3, 2021
Reuters also quotes maritime sources saying Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized the tanker.
The Times of Israel Community.