The incident with the US-Iranian Navy, in which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, an elite unit of the Iranian Armed Forces) forces allegedly prevented an attempt to intercept an oil cargo aboard an Islamic Republic tanker by the Americans in the Gulf of Oman, requires a thorough examination, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday.
"The recent incident in the Gulf of Oman certainly needs to be thoroughly checked," she said.
As the diplomat noted, Russia is against any escalation of the situation in the Middle East region. "We call on all parties involved to find ways to resolve the emerging contradictions and not to aggravate them," Zakharova added. - "This requires mutually respectful, equal and constructive dialogue based on international law and the UN Charter. This is what our country's renewed concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf is all about. Tehran, which is one of the key players in the region, consistently supports the Russian concept".
"The tense situation [in the Gulf of Oman] is largely the result of Washington's irresponsible policy, which constantly escalates the situation around Iran and the region as a whole with its provocative actions," the diplomat stressed.
On November 3, the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation IRIB reported that the IRGC forces had prevented an attempt to intercept an oil cargo aboard an Islamic Republic tanker by the US forces in the Gulf of Oman. The report noted that US forces stopped an Iranian tanker and transferred the oil to another vessel, which started moving in an unknown direction. The IRGC Navy intercepted the Americans and managed to capture the tanker with the Iranian oil.
In turn, the Associated Press agency reported, citing sources in the US administration, that the IRGC forces seized the MV Sothys, flying the flag of Vietnam, in the Gulf of Oman on October 24. The Pentagon has denied the allegation that the US Navy attempted to intercept the oil cargo on board the Iranian tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS