Iran tries to seize two oil tankers near Persian Gulf

The U.S. Navy stopped Iranian forces from seizing two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, AP reported, increasing tensions between the countries as they seek to ease relations strained by Iran’s nuclear program and the detention of foreign nationals.

Iranian forces fired shots at the tankers but didn’t cause any casualties or major damage, the report said, citing U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Spokesman Tim Hawkins. The Iranian ships backed off after the U.S. Navy responded to distress signals from the area, AP said.

The move comes days after a tanker was previously seized by the U.S. for allegedly transporting Iranian crude arrived in Texas.

This year, Iran has taken control of at least three oil tankers around the waterway, a key transit route for oil exports from the Persian Gulf, citing judicial complaints and forged leasing documents.

Relations between the U.S. and Iran have been tense since the effective collapse in 2018 of an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program. After the last confirmed ship seizure in March, the two countries have held indirect talks on prisoner swaps and the release of Iranian funds frozen abroad due to sanctions.