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US Navy says Iran seized commercial ship in Gulf

The US Navy says it monitored the situation in international waters involving vessel possibly engaged in smuggling activity and decided not to intervene.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have “forcibly seized” a commercial ship in international waters in the Gulf that was possibly involved in smuggling, according to United States Navy.

The Bahrain-based US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said in a statement on Thursday that it monitored the incident but assessed the circumstances “did not warrant further response”.

“US forces remain vigilant and ready to protect navigational rights of lawful maritime traffic in the Middle East’s critical waters,” US 5th Fleet spokesperson Commander Tim Hawkins said.