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Day 2: UK foreign office spokesperson said they are “urgently investigating” suspected hijacking off Fujairah coast, Iran denies they dunnit
Yesterday we watched as 6 ships were reported losing steering, probably due to mines, in the Gulf of Oman and one of them, the Asphalt Princess, was boarded by armed men and taken toward Iran.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Iran denies rumors about military forces entering foreign ships in Persian Gulf
Tee up the taqqiya cubed:
[Iran Press TV] The Iranian Foreign Ministry has dismissed
...Tut tut, my good man!...
 rumors about the entry of the country’s military forces into foreign ships passing in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, warning against such false reports propagated by the Western and Zionist media.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Foreign Ministry front man, made the remark in an interview with Tasnim news agency on Tuesday after UK sources reported the "potential hijack" of a British vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah region.

British authorities claimed that the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess oil tanker had been hijacked, and said they were "working on the assumption Iranian military or proxies boarded the vessel" in the Gulf of Oman.

Khatibzadeh categorically rejected as "untrue" the reports circulated by Western and Israeli media about the involvement of Iran’s Armed Forces in the incident.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry front man also called on all parties to be vigilant against the spread of fake news, given the contradictory news about maritime security in the region.

SUCCESSIVE MARITIME INCIDENTS IN REGION ’SUSPICIOUS’
Khatibzadeh earlier described as "suspicious" a number of reported security incidents involving ships in the Persian Gulf region and warned against any effort to create a "vicious atmosphere to pursue certain political goals."

Khatibzadeh said Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
pursues the policy of establishing security and stability in the region, adding that the Islamic Theocratic Republic provides naval support for vessels passing through the strategic waters in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

"Iran's naval forces are ready to provide naval support, if needed, to transit ships in the region," he said. "In case of problems in navigation systems, the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran is ready to provide assistance and investigate the matter closely."

Khatibzadeh also expressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with the regional countries to boost maritime security and monitoring of naval transit routes.

The latest incident comes less tan a week after the United States and the United Kingdom joined Israel in accusing Iran of orchestrating Thursday's attack on an Israeli tanker off the coast of Oman, despite Tehran’s firm denial.


The Times of Israel adds:
According to the Reuters news agency, which quoted two security maritime sources, Iranian-backed forces were believed to have seized one of the tankers.

Shipping authority Lloyd’s List and maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global both identified the vessel involved as Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess. The vessel’s owner, listed as Emirati free zone-based Glory International, could not immediately be reached for comment late Tuesday.

The ship was heading towards Iran under the control of armed men, Lloyd’s List said.

Posted by: Fred 2021-08-04
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=608903