Conflicting reports that a U.S. cargo ship may or may not have been seized by the Iranian military in the Persian Gulf roiled markets on Tuesday morning.
The Pentagon later reported that the Maersk Tigris did not have any U.S. citizens aboard and was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz when the incident occurred.
Al Arabiya, the Saudi news network, initially reported that a U.S. vessel has been fired on and steered to the Bandar Abbas port by Iran. Iran’s Fars News Agency also reported that an “American trade vessel” had been confiscated.
None of these reports have been independently confirmed by CNBC.
According to information on the ship tracking website Marine Traffic, the vessel was destined for the U.A.E. The ship is 255 meters in length and was built in 2014, according to the same site.
The website also shows that the ship changed its course in the Straight of Hormuz and is now headed in the direction of Bandar Abbas. However, this data could not be independently confirmed.
The confusion continued when Al Arabiya later reported that a U.S. official has said that no such seizure of a U.S. cargo ship by Iran had actually happened.
Senior U.S. Navy officials told NBC News there had not been any confrontation between Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and any Navy ships, however.
The cargo ship is reported to have 34 crew members aboard and was steered to the port which is located off the southern coast of Iran, as per Al Arabiya.
It is not clear yet what type of cargo the ship was carrying.
#BREAKING: Pentagon confirms #Iran seized #US cargo ship http://t.co/0S2aWYcLEV
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 28, 2015
—Reuters and NBC contributed to this report.
What’s the best way for Obama to get a secret/illicit shipment to Iran despite an ongoing embargo? Have it conveniently “seized!”
“It is not clear yet what type of cargo the ship was carrying.”
It never will be, either.
‘National security’, don’cha know.