A ship anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was boarded by “unauthorised personnel” and is being sailed towards Iranian waters, the UK Maritime Trading Organisation (UKMTO) has said.
The UKMTO said it received a report that the unnamed vessel near the southern entry of the Strait of Hormuz was boarded at 5.45am local time. It had been anchored 38 nautical miles (61 kilometres) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah.
It came hours after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi threatened action over the UAE’s “collusion” with Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu made claims that he secretly visited the Emirates.
Araghchi warned that it was “unforgivable” and said those involved would be “held to account”. He said countries that engage with Israel in hostilities toward Tehran are making “a foolish gamble”.
Iran has further tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz by cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
