Oil tankers sit at anchor offshore in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday. AP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — An American fighter jet shot out the rudder of an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday as it tried to breach the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports, the American military said in a social media post.
The attack occurred as Iran and the U.S. are officially in a ceasefire and as the two countries appear to be moving closer to an initial agreement to end the war. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to pressure Tehran with threats of a new wave of bombing if a deal is not reached.
American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the ship it was violating the blockade, U.S. Central Command said in its post.
The United States and Iran appeared to be moving closer Wednesday to, initial agreement to end the war, as U.S. President Trump sought to pressure Tehran with threats of a new wave of bombing if a deal is not reached.
Trump posted on social media that the two-month war could soon end and that oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict could restart. But he said that depends on Iran accepting a reported agreement that the president did not detail.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump wrote.
Trump made his latest comments after he suspended a short-lived U.S. effort to force open a safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which major oil and gas supplies, fertilizer and other petroleum products passed before the war.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait has sent fuel prices skyrocketing, rattled the global economy and put enormous economic pressure on countries, including major powers such as China.
China's foreign minister called for a comprehensive ceasefire Wednesday after meeting in Beijing with Iran's top envoy. Wang Yi said his country was “deeply distressed” by the conflict, which began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Source: Korea Times News
