The US struck Iranian military targets for a second straight day after CENTCOM said a drone hit the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku near the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed attacks deepen strains on a June 17 ceasefire agreement.
Posts tagged as “Oil tankers”
Oil tankers used a U.N.-recommended route near Oman to leave the Persian Gulf despite Iran’s warning that unauthorized crossings of the Strait of Hormuz are prohibited. The crossings come amid U.S.-Iran disputes over control, fees and traffic rules under a temporary reopening agreement.
British forces seized the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel during a six-hour operation targeting Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet. The UK says the vessel will be held and monitored off England’s south coast while investigations continue.
Trump threatened new strikes on Iran and the seizure of Kharg Island as U.S.-Iran fighting widened across Gulf states and the Gulf of Oman. Iran said the latest U.S. attacks made the ceasefire “practically meaningless,” while mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan continued.
India lodged a “strong protest” with the United States after three Indian sailors were killed in a U.S. strike on the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. forces also disabled two other tankers this week as part of a naval blockade linked to Iran.