British government sources told The Times that an Iranian squad of armed personnel had seized the Asphalt Princess and attempted to sail it to Iran on Tuesday evening, while Israel said action might be needed. military to stop Iran's increasing attacks.
The sources indicated to the newspaper "The Times" that the crew of the oil tanker "Asphalt Princess" malfunctioned its engines, which led to the failure of the attack.
A British government source added that the Iranian squad fled the tanker after US and Omani warships arrived to rescue it.
He explained that the squad members left on boats, and that none of the target ship's crew was hurt.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UN Security Council must respond to Iran, following an attack on a tanker off the coast of Oman last week, which killed two people.
The British minister accused Iran of destabilizing behavior, and said that "the council must respond to Iran's destabilizing behavior and its lack of respect for international law."
Britain and other countries sent a letter to the Security Council on Tuesday, accusing Iran of destabilizing the security of maritime navigation and of being behind the attack on the Zodiac ship operated by an Israeli company.
Questions about the kidnapping
This comes, while the question arises as to who hijacked the oil tanker "Asphalt Princess" on Tuesday and released it later at dawn today, Wednesday.
The British Navy said the hijackers who boarded the "Asphalt Princess" ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman had left the ship and that the incident was over.
The British Navigation and Trade Organization announced that the hijackers left the ship at about two o'clock in the morning GMT, and that the ship had been handed over and that the accident had ended, and according to the signals issued by the ship, it is now on its way to Oman.
For its part, the Omani Maritime Security Center issued a statement regarding the oil tanker Asphalt Princess, which was hijacked off the coast of the UAE and released earlier.
The center said that the Omani Air Force conducted sorties near the site where the ship was detained.
The Maritime Security Center stated that it had received information about the hijacking of an oil tanker called Asphalt Princess, bearing the flag of Panama, and added that the Omani Navy operated a number of its ships to contribute to securing international navigation.
Fly the flag of Panama and transport asphalt and bitumen
And Western media, quoting security sources, said they believed that Iranian-backed forces had seized a ship on Tuesday in the Gulf waters off the coast of the UAE.
Western reports stated that the Asphalt Princess ship - which flies the flag of Panama and transports asphalt and bitumen - was hijacked when it was sailing from Khorfakkan in the UAE to Sohar in the Sultanate of Oman.
Reuters quoted 3 naval security sources as saying that Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized the ship.
The accident occurred at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest waterways, days after an attack on an oil tanker linked to Israel bound for the UAE, and the United States and its allies accused Iran of being behind it.
"The reported incidents in the Persian Gulf and the wider region appear suspicious," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday.
"As confirmation of our strong commitment to regional stability and maritime security, Iran is ready to provide assistance in the event of any maritime accidents," Khatibzadeh wrote on Twitter.
The United States did not point the finger at Iran in the latest incident, but State Department spokesman Ned Price said there was a "worrying pattern of hostility from Iran".
"With regard to this incident, it is too early to make a judgment," Price told reporters.
Tensions in the region escalated after an attack last week on an Israeli-operated tanker off the coast of Oman, which killed two crew members, and was blamed by the United States, Israel and Britain on Iran, which denied responsibility.
Words are not enough.. it's time for action
On the other hand, the Israeli foreign and defense ministers said that the person responsible for targeting the Israeli ship last week is an Iranian named Saeed Areh Jani.
And the German news agency reported that Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz stressed today, Wednesday, that military action may be needed to stop the increasing attacks by Iran, days after an attack by a drone targeting an Israeli-run tanker off the coast of Oman killed two people. Iran denied responsibility for it.
"It is time for actions, words are not enough," Gantz said, according to the same source, adding, "It is a time for diplomatic, economic, and even military actions, otherwise the attacks will continue."
Gantz's statement came during a meeting with ambassadors of member states of the UN Security Council, according to the "Bloomberg" news agency.
The United States, Israel and Britain pledged to respond to the attack, while Israel asserted that it reserves the right to act independently.