US Disables Iranian-Flagged Tanker in Gulf of Oman — World News
US forces disabled an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after repeated warnings were ignored, US Central Command said. The vessel was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port earlier on Wednesday, and a navy jet shot at and stopped it as the maritime pressure around the Strait of Hormuz continued.
Donald Trump said the situation in Iran is “very much under control” and warned Tehran to accept a deal to end the war in the Middle East or face a new wave of US bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.” Trump also said Iran wants to “make a deal very much.”
US Central Command in the Gulf of Oman
US Central Command said the tanker received repeated warnings before the crew failed to comply. The ship was unladen and flying the Iranian flag when US forces disabled it from a navy jet, a direct use of force at sea rather than a seizure or boarding.
Trump added that the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is “unbelievable” and said Iran is “not getting anything through one way or the other, so they’re out of business.” He also said, “We’ll see whether or not they are agreeing, and if they don’t agree, they’ll end up agreeing shortly thereafter.”
Trump and the US-Iran talks
The US strike on the tanker landed while US-Iran negotiations were still underway, making the maritime move part of the same pressure campaign Trump was describing publicly. He said 111 missiles had been fired by Iran at a US aircraft carrier and were all intercepted.
For shipping operators moving through the Gulf of Oman, the immediate operational fact is that US forces are enforcing blockade measures on vessels linked to Iran, and one Iranian-flagged tanker has already been disabled after warnings were ignored.
Israel Strikes Beirut Again
Later on Wednesday, Israel’s military carried out strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in weeks since the Israel-Lebanon truce went into force on 17 April. Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Katz said the Israeli army had struck to target the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force in an attempt to neutralise him.
Hezbollah gave no immediate comment. Netanyahu also said he would speak to Trump later on Wednesday about the ongoing US-Iran negotiations to end the war.
Lebanon’s Toll Since 2 March
Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 2,700 people had been killed and over 8,300 wounded since 2 March. Those figures frame the ceasefire period that began on 17 April, even as attacks and raids have continued in southern Lebanon.
Trump’s warning to Tehran, the strike on the tanker, and Israel’s attack in Beirut now sit in the same day’s news cycle, with Netanyahu saying he will press the US president later on Wednesday as the next scheduled diplomatic step.
