U.S. bombs Iran after Tehran attacks ship in Hormuz, Pentagon says
In the statement made by the US military, it was stated that President Donald Trump ordered the renewal of air strikes against Iran on Saturday, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a commercial ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said that the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy could not continue its voyage because the Iranian attack caused a fire on the ship and serious damage to the ship’s engine room. Centcom said a civilian crew member was missing.
“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to weaken Iran’s ability to attack civilian sailors and commercial ships freely passing through the strait,” Centcom said. social media post.
The Revolutionary Guard said it had closed Hormuz to all ship traffic “until further notice,” according to Iranian officials. state news source PressTV.
“No ships will be allowed to pass through the strait,” the guard said in a statement published by PressTV.
Saturday’s airstrikes are the third time this week the United States has bombed Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships passing through Hormuz.
Iran attacked ships using the southern route along the coast of Oman, protected by the US military. Tehran demands that ships use the northern route through its territorial waters.
The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to reopen the strait. However, Washington and Tehran are currently discussing the conditions under which Hormuz should be reopened.
According to the agreement, Iran promised to “make arrangements using its best efforts” to ensure the safe passage of ships passing through Hormuz and agreed not to charge transit fees for 60 days. However, the agreement left the exact transit routes undefined.
David Goldwyn, who served as the US State Department’s special envoy for international energy affairs during the administration of former President Barack Obama, said: “The main problem here is that the memorandum of understanding does not reach an agreement on the management of ship traffic in the strait.”
“That actually solved the problem,” Goldwyn said.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said last month that the US military would “secure the flow of energy from the Gulf with or without a deal with Iran.”
“Iran will not have the ability to close the Strait of Hormuz,” Wright said at a conference in New York on June 24. “That’s their main trump card, and we’re taking that trump card away from them.”
Earlier on Saturday, Iran Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman to meet with Foreign Minister Sayyed Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi. Oman has been a key mediator in efforts to end the war between the United States and Iran.
A US official told MS Now that the technical negotiation team did not participate in discussions in Oman.
A senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks told MS Now that France and Britain were working on proposals drawn up by Oman that could allow navigation fees in the strait as long as tolls are not mandatory and have the support of the UN International Maritime Organization, which regulates shipping.
