The United States on Thursday demanded Iran immediately release a vessel it seized in the Gulf as a US military commander said Washington would work "aggressively" to ensure free passage of vessels through the vital waterway. Responding to an announcement by Iran's Revolutionary Guard that it captured a foreign tanker smuggling fuel, the US State Department insisted Iran must free the ship and its crew and stop harassing vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The US blames Iran for a series of attacks on shipping since mid-May in the world's most important oil artery, accusations Tehran rejects. The incidents ... (full story)