Armed boats attempt to intercept vessel in Strait of Hormuz, says maritime authority

By Rania Abushamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Tuesday that it had received a report of an attempted interception of a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, north of Oman.

In a statement, UKMTO said the incident occurred approximately 16 nautical miles north of Oman, within the inbound Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the strait.

According to the report, the vessel was hailed over VHF radio by several small armed boats.

“The vessel has ignored the request to stop and has continued on its planned route.”

UKMTO said the incident was being investigated by relevant authorities.

It advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and to report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.

The incident comes amid rising tensions between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear pogram, with Washington and Tehran are set to hold talks in Istanbul on Friday.