US military strikes cargo ship trying to break Iranian blockade

The US military announced Saturday evening that its forces had stopped a merchant ship that was trying to force its blockade of Iranian ports by firing a missile at its engine room.

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According to the US Central Command (Centcom), the Gambian-flagged cargo ship Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces overnight as it attempted to enter an Iranian port. Although the ship remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman, US forces did not board it, according to media reports.

This latest action comes after the resumption of hostilities this week, despite a fragile ceasefire in force since April 7, and as the world waits to know whether an agreement can be reached to end the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran on the 28 February regarding Tehran’s contested nuclear program.

With this new intervention, the American army stopped six ships which were trying to break the blockade, only one having been authorized to continue its journey. One hundred and sixteen other ships were diverted, she said.

The US blockade was established on April 17 in response to Iran’s de facto closure of the strait after the start of the war in the Middle East.

Washington is seeking to limit Iran’s own shipments and further weaken its access to cash, worsening the difficulties of an already hard-hit economy.

Trump has not yet decided on an agreement with Iran

Earlier, US President Donald Trump met with his advisers on Friday, but has yet to decide whether to follow through with a deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen the strait, after finalizing a preliminary framework of agreement between the two sides.

According to US officials, the agreement would extend the current ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restrict Iran’s nuclear program, with Tehran agreeing to cede a large part of its uranium stockpiles. Iran says no deal has yet been finalized.

At the same time, commercial traffic continues to quietly pass through the strait, despite Iran’s assertions that it must approve any passage, even if the volume remains much lower than before the war.

“Any violation of these regulations will seriously jeopardize the security of their passage,” Iran’s joint military command said in a statement broadcast on state television on Saturday, warning that any military vessel attempting to interfere would be targeted.

Tehran has even imposed passage fees of up to $2 million, which experts consider a violation of a principle of international maritime trade: freedom of peaceful navigation.

On Saturday, Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani said the emirate is opposed to charging transit fees, “but for certain periods, when they say they are going to use them for mine clearance or for temporary use of fees, that is something “negotiable, and this could help return transit through the Strait of Hormuz to a normal situation.”

Events in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route between Iran and Oman through which around 20% of the world’s maritime traffic passes, have shaken the global economy.

Shipments of significant quantities of oil, natural gas and related products such as fertilizers are largely at a standstill, increasing pressure on consumers and agricultural producers.