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US believes Iranians seized oil tanker off UAE coast

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said early Wednesday that the intruders had left the vessel, which is now safe.
GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

The United States believes a group of Iranians boarded the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, an apparent hijacking that occurred less than a week after Iran was blamed for a deadly drone attack on another ship. 

"We can confirm that personnel have left the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess, this commercial vessel that was seized yesterday. We believe that these personnel were Iranian, but we're not in a position to confirm this at this time,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told a press briefing on Wednesday. 

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