Washington: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fired warning shots over Singapore-flagged cargo vessel in international waters in the Gulf on Thursday, prompting the cargo vessel to flee into United Arab Emirates’ territorial waters, a US official told Reuters, saying the account was based on preliminary information. It was unclear if the shots hit the vessel, CNN said

The United Arab Emirates sent Coast Guard vessels toward the cargo ship and at some point the Iranian ships turned away, the official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was unaware of any US Navy involvement.

There were no US personnel on the vessel, according to CNN. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report, and representatives for the Pentagon could not be immediately reached for comment.

The shots at the Singapore-flagged vessel were fired as US President Barack Obama and leaders from Gulf nations were set to meet at Camp David in a rare, high-profile summit on US

efforts to broker a nuclear deal with Iran. The United States and five other world powers are in talks with Tehran to curb its atomic programme.

Iran, currently in a standoff with a Saudi Arabia-led coalition over security inspections of its own cargo ship, last month intercepted a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. It forced that ship into Iranian territorial waters by firing shots across its bow. Last week, Iran released a Marshal Islands-flagged cargo ship which was seized on April 28. Iran fired at the MV Maersk Tigris across its bridge as it traversed the Strait of Hormuz. It was taken to Bandar Abbas, the main port of Iran’s navy, under escort by Iranian patrol boats. Iran said the seizure stems from a legal complaint by a private Iranian company.

Following the Maersk incident, Washington adopted a policy change, allowing any US-flagged ship to be accompanied by Navy warships through the narrow strait, which includes Iranian territorial waters. Navy ships are positioned nearby and are ready to respond if needed, but they do not actually escort a vessel.

The Strait of Hormuz is the route for about a fifth of the world’s oil and is only about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.