U.S. board Russian tanker suspected of smuggling Iraqi oil

MOSCOW -- The Russian Foreign Ministry denied on Thursday that a Russian tanker was smuggling Iraqi oil, in violation of United Nations sanctions.

The U.S. navy had been monitoring the movements of the Russian Volgoneft-147 tanker which was suspected of smuggling Iraqi oil for several weeks, traveling close to the the coast of Iran to elude the multinational inspection force of which the U.S. Navy is a part.

The United States navy cruiser USS Monterey intercepted and boarded the tanker on Wednesday night in international waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman, "on suspicion that they were implicated in the illegal transportation of Iraqi oil," Pentagon spokesman Jim Kout said. "The Russian crew and captain cooperated with the operation."

Russia has demanded the immediate release of a tanker while the U.S. team is continues its inspection of the tanker's cargo in an effort to determine the origin of the oil.

"The Russian side resolutely insists the tanker is immediately released," Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Sredin said.

He said the tanker was carrying Iranian fuel oil. "The vessel never entered Iraqi territorial waters or Iraqi ports," Sredin said.