Ship is reported seized off the coast of the UAE and is heading toward Iran

[AP Photo]

A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian territorial waters, the British military said yesterday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers, 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz.

The seizure comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a much-anticipated visit to Beijing. The leaders’ talks are expected to focus on the war with Iran, which has seriously disrupted trade in oil, gas and other products and rattled the global economy.

It happened hours after Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had quietly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran, though the UAE swiftly denied that any secret visit had occurred.

The Gulf nation normalized relations with Israel in 2020. Iran has criticized that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.

Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalizing relations.

UKMTO did not name the ship and said it is investigating. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the seizure.

Fujairah is an important oil export terminal and the UAE’s main port outside of the Persian Gulf. It has been repeatedly attacked during the war with Iran.

Iran has seized a number of ships since the war began.

Its navy last week seized an oil tanker identified as the Ocean Koi, saying it was attempting to disrupt oil exports and Iranian interests, according to the official IRNA news agency.

It said the tanker was seized in the Gulf of Oman and was carrying Iranian oil when it was boarded and taken to Iran’s southern coast.

The U.S. sanctioned the Ocean Koi in February, saying it has been part of a “shadow fleet” that has been transporting Iranian oil. MDT/AP