Above, an American MQ-9 surveillance drone captured video of the Iranian warship’s encounter with the oil tanker. Footage released by the Navy shows several flashes popping up near the Richmond Voyager – what officials described as “ricocheted rounds” on top of the commercial vessel.
Additional imagery released by the Navy purports to show bullet fragments recovered from the Richmond Voyager.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Iranian military vessel, which had positioned itself within a mile of the Richmond Voyager, ordered the commercial tanker to stop, according to a Navy news release. The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul was dispatched to the area, forcing the Iranian ship to flee, the Navy said.
The incident occurred in international waters, more than 20 miles off the coast of Muscat, the capital of Oman, while the Richmond Voyager was en route to the Arabian Sea, the Navy said.
McFaul responded about three hours later to a similar incident involving a separate Iranian military vessel that approached a commercial oil tanker that US officials identified as the TRF Moss. The incident also happened in international waters, according to the Navy. Moss is registered in the Marshall Islands.
US military officials said that, starting in May, they increased the frequency of naval and air patrols in the region after the increase in the number of ships seized by Iran. The Navy release stated that, since 2021, “Iran has harassed, attacked or seized nearly 20 internationally flagged vessels, presenting a clear threat to maritime security in region and the world economy.”
