Iran lodges protest after US forcibly boards innocent tanker

The Iranian government has lodged a formal protest with the US authorities after soldiers from a US warship forcibly boarded an Iranian tanker in the Arabian Gulf today, injuring one crew member.

The US boarded the tanker after the captain refused requests for information about its cargo.

A spokesman said the US soldiers detonated an explosion to gain entry to the ship, only to discover that it was operating legitimately. The US claimed the tanker was Saudi Arabian, but Iranian authorities have insisted it was their’s.

US warships patrol the Arabian Gulf daily under the premise of policing the UN oil embargo against Iraq. This self-appointed US role has angered many Islamic countries in the region.

Following the aggressive US boarding today, the Iranian government summoned Swiss Ambassador Tim Guldimann to the Foreign Ministry to receive an official protest over the incident.

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran has looked after US interests in Iran since Washington severed ties with the Islamic regime which seized power in the 1979 revolution.