IRGC Navy Commander: US Telling Lies About Sea of Oman Incident

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri underlined that the US claim that its forces were only monitoring the incident in the Sea of Oman is a big lie.

Speaking in a ceremony to honor the forces confronting the US piracy on Wednesday, Admiral Tangsiri gave a detailed explanation on how the IRGC Navy forces seized the tanker and escorted it to Iranian waters.

“The Iran’s IRGC units began the operation for seizure and redirecting of the tanker after lengthy intelligence work when the tanker was located 40 miles off Jask island coast in international waters,” he added.

Admiral Tangsiri said that two US warships approached the scene when Iranian forces had descended from helicopter on the deck, adding that US ships drew up in battle array, trying to prevent IRGC mission by flying drones and helicopters.

“In the next phase, the US forces added three other warships to frighten Iranian forces, but they failed and had to retreat and leave the scene when faced with Iranian forces’ courage,” the IRGC commander added.

On the claims made by US sources that their forces were only monitoring the incident, the commander said that this is a big lie.

The released footage has clearly and undeniably outlined the scene, showing that US warships were as close as less than 30 meters to Iranian vessels and forces, Admiral Tangsiri saidd.

He pointed out that the US could watch the scene from a farther distance or even via planes and drones if they wanted only to monitor.

On October 24, the IRGC naval forces fought off a US attempt to steal an Iranian oil cargo in the Sea of Oman in a flagrant violation of international rules, seen as yet another move to escalate tensions against Tehran. The US seized a tanker carrying Iranian oil for exports in the waters of the Sea of Oman and transferred its crude shipment to another tanker, voyaging towards an unknown destination. The IRGC naval forces took immediate action to surround the tanker and landed troops on the deck of the vessel in heliborne operations and directed it towards the territorial waters of Iran.

Then several US military helicopters and warships rushed to seize the tanker but failed thanks to the decisive and mighty action of the Iranian naval forces.

The American forces again attempted to block the path of the tanker by more warships and helicopters, but were again pushed back. The oil tanker is currently in the territorial waters of Iran.