Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson).
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on June 10 that its forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman for the second consecutive day, accusing the vessel of “violating the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.”
An American aircraft fired precision munitions into the engine room of the tanker, the Palau-flagged Settebello after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions, the command said in a statement.
“CENTCOM forces have disabled eight non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since initiating the blockade on April 13,” it added.
Video footage released by the command along with the statement indicate that the strike was carried out by an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the blockade on Iranian ports just four days after the ceasefire went into effect, in response to the Islamic Republic’s restriction on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a checkpoint for around 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
The latest attack came after the U.S. launched an extensive wave of strikes against Iran, mainly hitting air defenses and radar sites close to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded quickly, attacking American bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain with missiles and drones.
More escalation is to be expected. Trump said during the day that the U.S. would be attacking Iran again, indicating that the last wave of strikes against the Islamic Republic were only the first part of Washington’s retaliation against the shooting down an American AH-64 Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week.
“We’re going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“We hit him hard yesterday, and we hit him again hard today — in case you miss it because you don’t turn on your television set,” he added.
Trump’s latest remarks align perfectly with the Israeli desire to resume the war on Iran. Previously, the U.S. president appeared to be more in favor of a deal.
Iran will certainly respond to the attack on the tanker, as well as to any further strikes by the U.S. Thus, a return to war is very likely.
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