The US military has opened fire on an Iranian tanker as fears of a new war in Iran explode. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces targeted the Iranian-flagged oil tanker M/T Hasna in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings while sailing towards an Iranian port.
CENTCOM said the incident happened at around 9am ET on May 6 as the unladen tanker travelled through international waters en route to Iran. American forces told the crew the vessel was allegedly violating the ongoing US blockade against ships entering or departing Iranian ports. A statement issued on its official X account said: "U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces observed M/T Hasna as it transited international waters enroute to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade. After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, U.S. forces disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon gun of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran."
The confrontation comes amid rapidly escalating tensions in the Gulf following the launch of the US naval blockade against Iran and the wider American military operation known as “Project Freedom”.
On Sunday, PresidentDonald Trumpannouned that the US will “support” vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as the Iran continues. The operationbegan on Monday.
The move comes after countries around the world reportedly asked Washington for help in freeing vessels stranded in the key shipping lane, many of which are not involved in the conflict.
In a statement, Trump said the ships were “neutral and innocent bystanders” caught up in a crisis they had “absolutely nothing to do with”.
He also warned “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
On Monday, he went even further and threatened to"blow Iran off the face of the Earth"if they attack US vessels in the Middle East.
This was the same day the Iranian military claimed it hashit a US Navy vesselwith two missiles as the US Navy frigate was sailing through Strait of Hormuz near Jask.
The alleged attack came after the US vessel ignored warnings from the Revolutionary Guard to halt, according to Iranian state media. These claims were rejected by a senior US official.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
