US Says it Disabled Oil Tanker Sailing Towards Iran’s Kharg Island
Florida: While Washington continues to impose a naval blockade on maritime traffic connected to Iranian ports, the US military disabled a commercial oil tanker trying to reach Iran. The development comes amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah despite a new round of diplomatic talks in Washington.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), a Botswana-flagged oil tanker identified as M/T Lexie was targeted because it was allegedly trying to head for Iran’s Kharg Island. It was reported that the ship, which was not carrying cargo, ignored repeated warnings for 24 hours to change its route.
In its official statement, CENTCOM said that the US military aircraft stopped the ship by hitting the engine room with a Hellfire missile. The action forms part of a sanctions campaign launched on April 13, in which US forces claim to have disabled six merchant ships attempting to enter or leave Iran’s naval facilities and redirected another 122 vessels.
In a related maritime incident, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) confirmed that its ship, Sariska V, was hit by two shells in the port of Umm Qasr. UK Merchant Marine Operations (UKMTO) had previously reported the attack south-east of Umm Qasr without naming the ship.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed responsibility, describing the Sariska V as a “US-owned” ship and describing the attack as retaliation for an alleged attack on an Iranian ship near Oman.
MSC denied the claim, stating that the attack was “completely unjustified” and stressed that it was a neutral commercial carrier with no ties to the United States or Israel. The company added that it is headquartered in Switzerland and is entirely owned by Italian citizens.
As tensions escalated at sea, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continued, even as Lebanese and Israeli representatives completed the first day of direct talks in Washington. Discussions are planned to continue on Wednesday at the US State Department.
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism about a possible agreement and said, “Israel and Lebanon can make a peace agreement tomorrow.” He added that Hezbollah remains the biggest obstacle to progress and emphasized that negotiations involving Lebanon will remain separate from any diplomatic relations with Iran.
The latest developments come after US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had brokered a deal aimed at stopping the violence. Lebanon’s embassy in Washington later announced that the agreement would focus on stopping Israeli attacks on Beirut and Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory before potentially expanding further.
Despite ongoing U.S. mediation efforts, neither side has publicly endorsed the proposal and active conflict continues.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the negotiations “the least costly choice for Lebanon” despite facing strong opposition from Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli bombardments have killed at least 3,468 people since March 2; 35 of these were recorded on Tuesday. At least 26 Israeli soldiers and one civilian contractor were also killed during the same period.
