The Iranian military confirmed in a statement that its forces seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

According to the Iranian military’s version, the ship collided with an Iranian vessel, injuring several crew members, Iranian state media reported.

“A Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker was captured by the Iranian Armed Forces’ naval forces in the Persian Gulf after the oil tanker collided with an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman and the oil tanker tried to escape,” the military said in a statement.

“Two members of the boat’s crew are missing and many were injured in the ship-to-boat collision,” it added.

In the report of the US Navy on the incident, it is emphasized that the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards arrested a tanker with the flag of the Marshall Islands in the Gulf of Oman early this afternoon, while the oil tanker was sailing in international waters on a route.

“The oil tanker Advantage Sweet emitted a distress signal during the arrest,” the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said in a tweet. The American P.N. noted that he is monitoring the situation.

“The Iranian government must immediately release” the ship, added U.S. P.N. , denouncing actions that are “contrary to international law, actions threatening regional security and stability.”

Washington has often denounced Tehran’s actions in this highly strategic maritime zone, an almost exclusive shipping lane connecting oil-producing Gulf countries to global markets.

Over the past two years, Iran has “illegally” seized at least five merchant ships in the Middle East, the announcement by the US P.N.

In 2019, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a British-flagged tanker before releasing it two months later.

Tensions between Iran and the US have escalated since former US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw Washington from the international agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program and impose new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.