DUBAI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 The Iranian navy boarded and briefly seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S., a U.S. military official said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. military\u2019s Central Command published a black-and-white video showing what appeared to be special forces fast-roping down from a helicopter onto the MT Wila, whose last position appeared to be off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates near the city of Khorfakkan. The video was shot from a U.S. warship approximately 5 miles away, a DoD source told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIran\u2019s use of its military forces to conduct an armed boarding of a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law that undermines freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce,\u201d the International Maritime Security Construct said in a statement. \u201cWe call on Iran to articulate to the international community the legal basis for its actions. This type of reckless, aggressive behavior by Iran destabilizes the region and threatens the rules based international order.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident was monitored by a CTF Sentinel coalition ship as it provided overwatch, IMSC said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Iranian navy held the vessel for some five hours before releasing it Wednesday, said a U.S. military official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No distress signals were issued from the Wila, the DoD official told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMore proof Iranian\u2019s not interested in playing well with others,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t