A South Korean-flagged tanker vessel which was seized by Iran. is seen in Gulf, Iran January 4, 2021. Photo: IRGC / WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS.

The crew of a British tanker briefly hijacked in the Gulf of Oman told the UAE coast guard that the perpetrators were armed Iranians, it was reported Wednesday.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan shared a video on Twitter in which a crew member tells the coast guard that there were people on board with “ammunition.”

The coast guard asks how many “Iranian people” are onboard, and the crew member replies that there are five or six.

https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1422921086958805000

A total of four tankers lost control of their steering and navigation systems Tuesday in the Gulf region, including the one that was boarded.

The British Foreign Office said it was investigating the incident, and sources said it was a hijacking carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which conducts Iran’s terrorist operations overseas.

Israeli security organs investigated the incident as well in order to ascertain whether the ship was connected in some way to Israel. No such connection has been found.

Reuters reported Tuesday that Iran’s senior armed forces spokesman, Abolfazl Shekarchi called the accusations against Iran “a kind of psychological warfare and setting the stage for new bouts of adventurism.”

Tensions have simmered in the region after a suspected drone attack last week on an Israeli-managed tanker off the Omani coast killed two crew and was blamed on Iran by the United States, Israel, and Britain. Iran has denied responsibility.