Iranian gunboats tried to stop US tanker in Strait of Hormuz - WSJ

Armed Iranian boats tried to stop a US-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.

The report cited maritime security firm Vanguard Tech as saying in a message to clients that six Iranian gunboats armed with 50-caliber machine guns approached the tanker as it entered the strategic waterway and ordered it to shut down its engines and prepare to be boarded. The vessel instead increased speed and was later escorted by a US warship, the report said.

Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said it had received a report of an incident involving a vessel about 16 nautical miles north of Oman, within the inbound traffic separation scheme of the Strait of Hormuz.