US Navy says Iranian warship fired on tanker

A still from surveillance footage released by the US 5th Fleet shows a naval vessel that can be identified as the Iranian corvette Bayandor . The 5th Fleet said it fired on the tanker Richmond Voyager . (US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet)

The US Navy's 5th Fleet has accused the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) of firing on a civilian tanker in international waters in the Gulf of Oman on 5 July.

It released aerial surveillance footage showing a naval vessel that could be identified as the IRIN corvette Bayandor, as the only other ship of the same class has been in the floating dock in Bandar Abbas for over a year.

Bayandor was shown sailing close to the tanker Richmond Voyager as flashes appeared on the water on the far side of the tanker, which the 5th Fleet said were produced by ricocheting rounds, although no corresponding muzzle flashes were seen coming from the corvette.

The 5th Fleet said the Iranian ship fired “multiple long bursts of rounds from small arms and crew-served weapons”, with several rounds hitting the ship near its crew's living spaces but causing no casualties. It released photographs showing damage caused by a round that hit the tanker's superstructure and shell fragments gathered from the scene.

The 5th Fleet said this was the second of two attempts the IRIN made to seize tankers on 5 July. The first took place at 1300 h local time, when a different Iranian naval vessel approached TRF Moss, but departed after the US destroyer USS McFaul arrived.

The attempt to seize Richmond Voyager