Global SITREP F7-21: The Current Situation Part IV

UPDATE 5 August 2021: It would seem the events briefly described below of two days ago were intended harbinger of the arrival of the new Twelver president Ebrahim Raisi. IF IRGC forces had succeeded in their attempt to commandeer commercial vessels in international waters where would the world be today as a new president, more radical than the infamous Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ever was, is sworn into office. Many are saying Tanker War II. Maybe, but we won't have long to wait in suspense of Raisi's first actions while actually in office.

As a side note, it was the quick-thinking mechanic aboard the IRGC-commandeered MV Asphalt Princess who effected a sabotage of the ship's engines leaving it dead in the water. Thoroughly spooked by the prospect of being captured red-handed by allied forces the IRGC hastily abandoned ship. The crew's mechanics made instant repairs to restart the engines and turned south towards the safety of UAE and Omani waters. (See the UPDATE in the comments section below.)

Yesterday in Lebanon, an ever worsening world-class basket-case caused by Hezbollah's corruption and Iran's heavy hand, several if not tens of thousands of Beirut's residents marched in a silent vigil from the primary fire station down to the destroyed port area. Many of the dead were firemen who ran to the fire instead of away from it. Protests of this size, and up to one million, have been common place in Beirut in the past year.

The vigil was was both a memorial the passing of one year and to the deaths of 218 innocent lives, the injuries to thousands and over $15 billion in damages done since Hezbollah's 1.1 kilotons of improperly stored ammoninum nitrate exploded. 

The people know that the entire government is to blame due to their servitude to Hezbollah and their masters in Tehran. None in the government have been held to account, not a single apology to the families who lost their loved ones was offered. Lebanon is a literal powder keg with a lit fuse.

It's no exaggeration to say that other explosions will soon occur in Lebanon. This is not in reference to Israeli's artillery and air strike retaliation overnight for the three rockets that struck near Kiryet Shemona. There will be more rockets from Lebanon and Israel will hit back massively. Eventually, yet very soon, the prophecy of Joshua 13 will come to fulfillment.

3 August 2021: Many intel and media sources are reporting that several merchant ships issued distress or mayday calls in the Gulf of Oman (GoO) today. The location data has the initial report off the UAE coast, approximately 60 miles east of port Fujairah. This remains a breaking news situation.  

There was such an abudance of raw intel circulating late yesterday afternoon that at 19:08 last evening I posted a warning in the comments section of the previous SITREP F6-21 about the likelihood of shooting occurring without warning. The warning became a real-world reality at roughly the same general time as it was posted.

What is known or suspected is that Iranian forces or their local proxies  have set upon at least five merchant vessels in the GoO. One vessel, MV Golden Brilliant, reported it struck an underater mine or weapon of some type. 

Four other vessels reported via their Automatic Indentification System (AIS) radio that they had a "loss of control" or "not in command" possibly indicating a coordinated hostile boarding of all the vessels. One of these vessels has been identified as the MV Asphalt Princess and which appears to have been boarded and seized by a team of 8 or 9 IRGC special forces in international waters. The others are the MT Queen Ematha, the MT Jap Pooja, and MV Abyss. These are acts of war.

Also, just now learning that Iran was withdrawn its participation in the nuclear talks.