According to the US, Iran has tried to bring up two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. One of the ships is said to have been fired upon, according to a spokesman for the US Navy.
The incidents occurred in the strategically important strait on Wednesday morning. The Iranian boats are said to have withdrawn when the US patrol vessels approached.
No one was injured in the shelling and the two tankers are said to have been able to continue their journey.
Iran has not commented on the data. The British security company Ambrey says it was a Greek-owned, Bahamian-flagged oil tanker that was fired upon while en route from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore.
According to the US, Iran has seized at least five merchant ships and harassed a number more over the past two years. Many of the incidents have occurred in the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, where 20 percent of the world’s crude oil is shipped.