Pentagon: Iran seizes Marshall Islands-flagged ship, US destroyer on standby
RT.com
April 28, 2015
The Iranian Navy has reportedly seized a Marshall Islands-flagged ship with 24 crew members on board, for violating Iran’s waters in the Persian Gulf. It was previously reported that it was a US vessel, though the Pentagon denied those claims.
The navy seized the Maersk Tigris under court order at the request of Iran’s Port Authority, Fars news agency reported.
The manager of the confiscated ship told a Danish news channel that the 24 crew members are mostly from Eastern Europe and Asia.
Pentagon spokesman US Army Colonel Steve Warren confirmed that Iranian forces boarded the Marshall Island-flagged Maersk Tigris vessel after patrol boats fired warning shots across its bow and ordered it deeper into Iranian waters, Reuters reported. He called the decision “inappropriate.”
“At first appearance it does seem to be provocative behavior, but again we don’t have all the facts yet,” Warren told a Pentagon news briefing.
The vessel initially ignored the warning but complied after the shots were fired, Warren said.
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