Iranian forces boarded a small tanker in international waters for several hours, serving the world a reminder of tensions in the region that flared up last year and embroiled merchant shipping.
The Wila was in the Gulf of Oman, roughly 20 miles from the United Arab Emirates, when it was boarded for about five hours late Wednesday afternoon, according to a U.S. government official with knowledge of the matter. It navigated the Strait of Hormuz, a choke-point for about one-third of the world’s seaborne oil, on its way out of the Persian Gulf last month, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show.
