Middle East
Vessels are pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 4, 2026. File photo: ISNA via AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A vessel anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the Strait of Hormuz was seized by unknown individuals on Thursday and is now being taken toward Iranian territorial waters, according to the British maritime monitor.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said it “received a report of an incident occurring 38 nautical miles (NM) northeast of [the Emirate of Fujairah],” located on the eastern coast of the UAE along the Gulf of Oman.
“A vessel was boarded and taken by unauthorized personnel while it was at anchor,” UKMTO reported, adding that it “is currently bound for Iranian Territorial Waters.”
The incident comes as the Gulf shipping lane remains under severe strain following weeks of escalation between the US and Iran, in the aftermath of the six week war.
Tehran has since largely restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the war erupted on February 28, while Washington has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports since mid-April.
Last week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that “any aggression against Iranian oil tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy assault on American positions in the region and enemy ships,” according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The outlet also reported that the IRGC Navy on Friday “opened fire on US military destroyers” in response to what Tehran described as “a ceasefire violation and an aggressive act by the US military against an Iranian oil tanker near the country’s southern port of Jask.”
Thursday’s seizure also follows an announcement by US Central Command on Wednesday that American forces had redirected 67 vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz, while four others were “disabled” as part of the ongoing blockade.
“Four weeks ago, CENTCOM began implementing the blockade against ships entering and exiting Iran’s ports,” the command said on Wednesday, adding that “as of today, American forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels, allowed 15 carrying humanitarian aid to pass, and disabled four to ensure compliance.”
The maritime escalation comes amid a fragile ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8 to allow space for talks aimed at securing a broader settlement, which remain stalled, with both Washington and Tehran warning that they are prepared for further confrontation.
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