On October 24, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy vessels seized a Vietnamese oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and escorted it into Iranian waters near Bandar Abbas. A U.S. Navy destroyer was nearby during the incident. Iranian state media reported that U.S. warship had captured the tanker, the MV Sothys, and the IRGC freed it. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that IRGC forces unlawfully captured the MV Sothys while the U.S. Navy vessel observed but did not engage. Satellite imagery and analysis by non-governmental groups indicated that the MV Sothys had previously called at Iranian ports and possibly carried Iranian oil. A Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Vietnam had sought information from Iran about the incident and the status of the vessel and its crew.