Disabled oil tanker received dozens of warnings before US opened fire, AP source says
WASHINGTON (AP) – Tanker was disabled by the American military while trying to advance US blockade of Iran He rejected about 60 verbal warnings and other shows of force before being fired upon, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
The ship’s crew also ignored eight displays of force by military aircraft, including firing flares and flybys, and two final warnings before the shots were fired on Wednesday, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Earlier in the week, the US military said an American aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello ship. Three Indian sailors died in the incident in the Gulf of Oman, Indian officials said.
The US official described the ship as a shadow fleet ship used to illegally transfer Iranian oil and evade sanctions and was seen attempting to break the blockade on multiple occasions. The official noted that US forces contacted the ship dozens of times in the two weeks before the ship was disabled.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the military gave the crew 15 minutes to exit the engine room before shots were fired that disabled the ship.
“After being in the region for more than 60 days, it should now be clear that US forces will strictly enforce the blockade,” the statement said.
India’s foreign ministry said New Delhi lodged a “strong protest” with the US.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Indian counterpart on Friday that “all commercial vessels attempting to maintain peace and security in the Strait must immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces,” according to a summary of the call released by the State Department on Saturday.
