DIRECT. War in the Middle East: the United States says it has neutralized a third tanker accused of violating the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

In a publication on This is the third ship stopped according to Centcom.

The latter claims to have “intervened against the M/T Jalveer, an oil tanker flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau”. It is specified that “an American plane fired two Hellfire missiles at the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly refused to obey orders from American forces.” The other two tankers, the M/T Marivex and Settebello, flew the flag of Palau.

“The blockade is applied impartially to ships of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman,” Centcom recalls in its publication.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, deplored “the restrictions imposed on the rights and freedoms of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and its surroundings” which are “a source of instability throughout the world”. Iran has been ensuring for several hours that the strait is “closed until further notice”.

“The world needs a total ceasefire and the restoration of navigation rights and freedoms, in accordance with international law,” calls António Guterres in a message published on X.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement in which it condemned “with the greatest firmness the heinous and repeated Iranian attacks” in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The country denounces a worsening of regional tensions and a threat to the security and stability of the region. Egypt once again calls for taking the path of diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

The Kremlin called on Iran and the United States to “return to the negotiating table”, after another night of bombing in the Middle East and Tehran’s announcement of the total closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We call on all parties in this conflict to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating table,” declared Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, responding to a question from AFP during a daily press briefing. He warned of the risk of “new negative consequences” of this “escalation of tensions” for the situation in the region and for the “global economy”.

Turkey called on Iran and the United States to “cease their mutual attacks”, after a new night of American bombings to which Tehran responded by striking its Gulf neighbors and Jordan.

“The reciprocal attacks which began two days ago raise fears of an escalation. (…) We recommend that the parties stop their mutual attacks and resume negotiations,” declared Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at a press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian government agency responsible for regulating maritime traffic, assures that the Strait of Hormuz “is closed until further notice” due to “tensions caused by American forces”.

Earlier in the day, the Iranian army had already warned that it will target “any ship transiting through the Strait of Hormuz”, now “completely closed to any type of ship”, but the United States denied this assertion. “Commercial ships continue to transit the Strait of Hormuz this evening,” Centcom assured overnight.

Saudi Arabia condemned “Iranian aggression” against Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, while calling for continued Pakistani mediation and welcoming the role played by Qatar in supporting the negotiations.

The powerful Gulf monarchy called for “de-escalation” and “to continue the negotiations carried out under the aegis of Pakistan as well as the accompanying efforts on the part of Qatar”, indicated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.

The Jordanian army said it had shot down 20 Iranian missiles, after the Revolutionary Guards had earlier reported strikes on an American command center in the kingdom.

“At dawn on Thursday, the air defense systems and the Air Force intercepted and shot down 20 missiles that had been launched from Iran in the direction of Azraq”, where the American base is located, declared a military official quoted in a communicated, referring to an area located approximately 80 kilometers east of Amman.

“The interception led to the fall of a certain amount of debris, without causing any casualties or causing material damage,” according to the same source.

Beijing urged the United States and Iran to “immediately” cease their military operations. “China strongly urges relevant parties to immediately cease military operations and return to dialogue and negotiation,” said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian.

The ceasefire that came into force between Tehran and Washington on April 8 no longer has any meaning, Iranian diplomacy said after another night of American bombings.

“The illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the United States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter (…), but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless,” reacted the Ministry of Affairs foreigners in a press release.

The US strikes primarily targeted southern Iran, but sites near the capital were also hit, including Karaj, Nazarabad and Pishva, according to the Revolutionary Guards.

Qatar’s negotiators left Tehran where they had gone the day before to try to resolve differences between the United States and Iran, a diplomat familiar with the discussions told AFP.

“The Qatari delegation left Tehran this morning after discussions with Iranian officials, carried out in coordination with the United States and which lasted until the early hours of the day,” said the diplomat on condition of anonymity.

At least three people were injured in the Tehran region after strikes carried out by the United States overnight against the country, the Fars agency announced, citing a medical official.

“Three people were injured in incidents linked to the brutal US attacks in Tehran province,” the local emergency services chief said.

The US strikes primarily targeted southern Iran, but sites near the capital were also hit, including Karaj, Nazarabad and Pishva, according to the Revolutionary Guards.

In a statement published on X, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar “strongly condemns the resumption of Iranian attacks against Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait”. Qatar considers these offensives to be “a flagrant violation of the rules of international law”.

Qatari diplomacy calls for “working towards de-escalation in order to restore security” in the region.

Pakistan, a mediating country in the war between the United States and Iran, deplored the military “escalation” observed in recent days in the Middle East and reiterated its call for a “negotiated solution”.

“Diplomacy and dialogue must be the basic principles to achieve a negotiated solution to all contentious issues,” Pakistani diplomatic spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told the press in Islamabad after new bombings overnight in the Gulf.

Three Indian sailors, previously missing off the coast of Oman, died after an American strike against an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, Indian Minister of Shipping Sarbananda Sonoma said, as reported by Reuters.

The United States said its military carried out a “precision” strike against the ship which had not followed its instructions and was carrying Iranian oil.

“More and more, Hezbollah is Iran in Lebanon,” criticizes the personal representative of the President of the Republic in Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on France Inter.

“Hezbollah, which presented itself as the protector of the Lebanese populations, is today the armed arm of Iran in Lebanon. It is not Lebanese,” adds the former French minister.

He welcomes the discussions initiated by the Lebanese president, who “had the courage to say that we must negotiate directly with Israel”. Jean-Yves Le Drian also believes that these talks “can allow a positive solution” for the unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of Lebanon, both vis-à-vis Hezbollah and Tel Aviv which carries out “indiscriminate strikes on the Lebanese population.”

Jean-Yves Le Drian, former Minister of the Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs, believes that the American strikes that occurred during the night are proof that the Strait of Hormuz has become a priority over all other subjects for the United States.

“What happened last night is that the American strikes were all aimed at the air defense system near the strait, which shows that the subject of Hormuz has become central to the United States, while it is not “It wasn’t at the start. The other subjects are secondary,” he explains on France Inter.

He nevertheless evokes “a controlled escalation on both sides” while negotiations between the two parties continue. “Everyone wants to conclude, but no one dares to say that he is in the most hurry.”

“I think we are going to resume a round of negotiations,” assures the personal representative of the President of the Republic in Lebanon, who believes that Donald Trump above all wanted to “regain control of the agenda imposed on him by Iran” via these latest strikes.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced that an 11-year-old child was “slightly injured” after Iranian attacks on the country. She was “treated on the spot”.

The interception and destruction of drones caused debris that damaged several buildings in the city of Hamad and the country’s capital, Manama. Still according to the ministry, homes and vehicles caught fire.

The worsening situation in the Gulf continues to fuel the rise in oil prices. This morning, a barrel of Brent from the North Sea gained 1.7% to $94.68, and that of American WTI gained 2% to $91.84.

Kuwait announces the reopening of its airspace. It was closed several hours after Iranian attacks on American bases in the country, in retaliation for strikes carried out by the United States.

“Traffic in Kuwaiti airspace has returned to normal,” Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said in a statement.

The UN Secretary General denounces a week marked by an “intensification of attacks and a deterioration of the situation” in the Middle East.

“The ceasefire looks more like a ‘less fire'”, writes António Guterres on X.

He believes that we should not “underestimate” the risk of seeing the attacks degenerate into an “open and complete conflict”, and calls for diplomatic negotiations. “No more attacks. No more excuses.”

António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, called on “all parties” in the war between Hezbollah and Israel to “work towards a diplomatic settlement that fully respects territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon.

“I fully support the arms monopoly held by the Lebanese government,” he added on X, denouncing a “serious escalation” of clashes since March.

He hopes for “continued negotiations” for “lasting peace and stability”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have fired ballistic missiles at a US command center in Jordan in response to US strikes against Iran.

This “punitive operation against the aggressor” targeted “the Al-Azraq air base and its control center, using 12 ballistic missiles”, declared the Guardians cited by the Tasnim agency, ensuring that they had destroyed these installations “and a large number of combat planes”.

Kuwait’s civil aviation authority announced “the temporary closure of the airspace” of the country, attacked by Iran in retaliation for American strikes.

“This measure follows the Iranian attacks against the State of Kuwait and the potential risks that this represents for civil aviation in the region,” the authority said in a press release.

The Revolutionary Guards, Tehran’s ideological army, announced that they had struck bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, in retaliation for new American bombings against Iran.

“During two waves of operations, eighteen major targets belonging to the US military were hit” on the bases of Ali al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber, in Kuwait, and the air base of Sheikh Isa, in Bahrain, affirmed the Guardians cited by the Irna agency.

Official Iranian media had previously announced an attack on the headquarters of the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain. Attacks carried out using drones and which targeted communications antennas as well as radars of the Patriot anti-missile system, indicated the Fars and Mehr agencies. The sirens “sounded” at the same time in Bahrain, its Interior Ministry indicated on X.

Senior Iranian officials have asked Donald Trump to stop attacks against Iran, said Wednesday a Fox News journalist who said he spoke with the American president by telephone.

“President Trump told me that Iran called him this evening,” said journalist Trey Yingst. “He told me that the Iranians had asked him to stop the bombings,” he declared on the Fox News channel. The American president also assured that “the bombings will stop shortly”, declared the journalist.

Tehran immediately denied, according to the Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian ideological army, in a press release. “Trump’s allegations that Iranian officials contacted him are strongly denied and are merely an excuse to escape war,” they said.

In total, 22 countries call on Iran to stop attacks against people “on their territories”, in a joint statement published today. The group of countries includes France, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

These countries “condemn the attempted murders and other malicious actions carried out in Europe, North America and Australia” by Iranian state entities.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran must stop these acts immediately,” they write according to the text published in French by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The US military has denied claims by Iran, which says it closed the Strait of Hormuz after the latest US strikes.

“Commercial vessels continue to transit the Strait of Hormuz this evening,” the US Middle East Command (Centcom) wrote on X.

The Iranian General Staff had announced earlier that “any ship transiting through the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted” and the Iranian navy declared having hit two ships.

The Iranian army has announced that it will target any ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with the country’s navy announcing for its part having struck two boats which were trying to cross this strategic passage.

“Any ship transiting through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” announced the Iranian general staff cited by the Tasnim agency, adding that this strait was now “completely closed to all types of ships” after new American bombings against Iran.

The Iranian navy, cited by state television Irib and the Mehr agency, announced for its part that “two ships which attempted to illegally cross the Strait of Hormuz were hit”.

The United States announced last night that it had resumed its strikes against Iran after warnings from Donald Trump, who accused Tehran of “making fun” of his country. The American army announced that it had launched “new strikes in self-defense against several targets in Iran”, according to the Middle East Military Command (Centcom).

“These strikes constitute a response to Iran’s unjustified and persistent aggression,” he added on X.

Iranian media reported explosions on the southern coast of Iran. Explosions were heard on the island of Qeshm, in Minab, Sirik and in the port of Bandar Abbas, according to these media.

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war in the Middle East. Tensions continue to rise in the region, after strikes carried out by both the American and Iranian sides.