The United States on Wednesday said it struck and disabled an oil tanker sailing towards Iran as part of its naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
A US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the engine room of the Botswana-flagged M/T vessel after it “ignored repeated warnings,” failing to comply with directions multiple times over 24 hours, Centcom wrote on X.
Centcom also released visuals on social media capturing the moment the tanker was hit.
According to Centcom, the unladen tanker was travelling toward Iran’s Kharg Island, from where Iran has been collecting tolls in exchange for allowing vessels to pass through safely since the early weeks of the war.
On 13 April, US President imposed a naval blockade on ships accessing Iranian ports and coastline, to prevent Tehran from collecting tolls. Defying Washington’s demand for restoring freedom of navigation in the strait, Iran established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) in May to formalise toll collection.
Tehran has been pushing for US recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait and justified the toll collection, arguing that the key maritime route passes through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
The development came after Trump requested changes to the potential peace agreement with Tehran. CBS News reported that the changes related to the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of highly enriched uranium from Iran.
The US President also denied reports suggesting that peace talks with Tehran had halted over Israel’s ongoing military operation in Lebanon.
The BBC reported that on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said Washington was “constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands”.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Tehran has signaled a willingness to negotiate elements of its nuclear program, the key sticking point in the ceasefire talks.
