Iran’s Navy captured a Marshall Islands flagged oil tanker on Thursday, heading for the US. This was amid heightened tensions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program. It is the latest such capture in an important waterway that supplies global energy.

The US Navy 5th Fleet in the Middle East identified the vessel as “Advantage Sweet”. MarineTraffic.com satellite tracking data showed the vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday afternoon, just north of Oman’s capital Muscat. The vessel had just left Kuwait with Houston listed as its final destination.

The Navy reported that the Advantage Sweet sent a distress signal at 1:15 p.m., while it was in international waters. Iran had seized the vessel.

In a press release, the 5th Fleet stated that “Iran’s action is contrary to international law. It disrupts regional security and stability.” “Iran must immediately release the tanker.”

Cmdr. 5th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Hawkins told The Associated Press that the Navy initially claimed the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard of Iran had seized the ship. However, an American aircraft confirmed later that the Iranian navy had captured the vessel. Timothy Hawkins spoke to The Associated Press.

The Iranian state-run IRNA News Agency said that the seizure was made after “an unknown ship collided last night with an Iranian vessel in the Persian Gulf causing several Iranians to go missing or get injured.” They did not name the other ship.

The Advantage Sweet was in the Persian Gulf Wednesday. However, its track did not show any unusual behavior when it passed through the Strait of Hormuz where a quarter of all oil traded passes. Iran has claimed to have been involved in other oil seizures, but these claims were later disproved as it became apparent that Tehran was using the seizure as a bargaining chip with foreign countries.

Dryad Global, a maritime security company, said that Iran’s “harassing activities within the Persian Gulf or Gulf of Oman are commensurate to an established pattern of behaviour which has seen Iran targeting vessels as a consequence of ongoing disputes.”

The 5th Fleet reported that the Iranian seizure of the commercial vessel was at least five in two years.

The report added that “Iran’s harassment of vessels in regional waters and interference with navigational right are a threat to global maritime security as well as the economy.”

US Army Gen. Erik Kurilla said that in a press release, “the illegal seizure of the tanker is another in a series of violations of international rules-based orders by Iran.”

The manager of the vessel, a Turkish company called Advantage Tankers issued a press release acknowledging that the Iranian navy was “escorting the Advantage Sweet to a port based on an international dispute”. All 24 crew members were Indian.

The firm stated that “the safety and well-being of our crew members is our number one priority”. The firm stated that “the safety and welfare of our valued crew members is our No. Similar experiences have shown that crews of vessels under similar circumstances are not in danger.

It appeared that the ship’s owner was a Chinese firm.

Refinitiv, a data firm, reported that the Advantage Sweet was carrying crude oil from Kuwait for American energy company Chevron Corporation of San Ramon in California. Chevron stated that it was “aware” of the situation.

In a recent statement, Chevron spokesperson Christine Dobbyn stated that they were in contact with vessel operators in order to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

The seizure of a ship by Iran on Thursday was just the latest in an explosion and a series of ship seizures that has roiled the region.

The incidents started after Donald Trump, then the US president, unilaterally rescinded the United States’ participation in the Iran nuclear deal. This agreement saw Tehran limit its uranium enrichment to a minimum as a condition for lifting economic sanctions.

The US Navy also blames Iran for a number of mine attacks in 2019 that damaged vessels, as well as a deadly drone attack in 2021 that killed two European crewmembers on a tanker with ties to Israel.

Tehran denies the attacks but there is a larger shadow war between Iran, the West and the volatile waters of the region. Since 2019, Iranian tanker seizure has been part of the conflict. Iran’s last major seizure was when it took two Greek tanks in May, and held them there until November.

In the greater Mideast, Iranian-backed Syrian militias have launched attacks against US forces. One of these attacks resulted in the death of a contractor. US airstrikes were launched in response.

The talks on the shattered nuclear agreement with Iran have stalled since last year. Since the collapse of the nuclear deal, Iran has advanced centrifuges as well as a stockpile that is rapidly increasing. The head of IAEA warned that Iran had enriched enough uranium to 60% purity, a small technical step away from weapons grade levels of 90%. This would allow Iran to produce several nuclear weapons, if they chose to.