Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, three maritime security sources said, after Britain's maritime trade agency reported a "potential hijack" in the area on Tuesday.
Two of the sources identified the vessel as the Panama-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil seaborne oil exports flow.
Iran's Foreign Ministry had earlier said reports of security incidents involving several ships near the UAE coast on Tuesday were "suspicious", and it warned of any effort to create a "false atmosphere" against the Islamic Republic.