Iranian gunboats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) approached the US-flagged tanker Stena Imperative in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday and threatened to board it, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, CBS News reports.

According to the CENTCOM spokesman, Captain Tim Hawkins, the USS McFaul destroyer arrived at the scene soon after the incident and, with the assistance of US Air Force, escorted the tanker to safety, and the ship continued its course.

UK-based Vanguard Tech, a maritime security company, informed clients that six armed Iranian gunboats approached the tanker and ordered it to stop for inspection, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), part of the UK Royal Navy, also reported an attempt to board the aforesaid US-flagged tanker. Several small armed vessels contacted the vessel, but the latter ignored requests to stop and continued on its planned route, UKMTO stated on X.

Iran’s Fars news agency, citing Iranian authorities, reported that inspection units had asked the vessel, which had entered Iranian territorial waters, to submit the necessary permits. But the vessel had no legal grounds for being in those waters, so it was warned and then left the area, Fars said.

According to the MarineTraffic service, this tanker is currently in the Persian Gulf. It is heading from Singapore to Bahrain.