U.S. forces board Iran-linked vessel amid tit-for-tat ship interdictions

U.S. forces boarded another “stateless” vessel linked to Iran, the U.S. military said Thursday. The tanker was interdicted in the Indian Ocean — far from the hotly contested Strait of Hormuz — in the latest seizure that is part of a tit-for-tat series of commercial vessel interdictions by U.S. and Iranian forces.

“Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean,” the Defense Department said on social media.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” the military added.

Video shared by the military appeared to show the interdiction, with U.S. forces descending from a helicopter and walking on board a massive tanker. 

The operation came after Tehran’s forces seized two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. A day before that, the Pentagon said U.S. forces had interdicted the Iran-linked “stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani” crude oil tanker in the Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility, which includes the Indian Ocean.  

A Philippine government agency said Thursday that 15 Filipino seafarers onboard two container ships currently being held by Iran were “safe and unharmed” and “their families have been informed and are receiving government support.” The statement was the first confirmation from a non-Iranian entity that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces had seized the two ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

 The country’s Department of Migrant Workers said that 10 Filipinos were onboard the Epaminondas, and five on the MSC Francesca — the two ships the IRGC said it seized Wednesday for breaching its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“The ships are currently in the vicinity of the Iranian coastline,” the statement added.

The IRGC posted video Wednesday apparently showing masked fighters speeding toward the MSC-Francesca in a gun boat and climb a ladder up its hull.  The video then shows another so-called “fast-boat” laden with soldiers approaching the cargo ship Epaminodes, followed by clips of IRGC fighters on board a ship, opening a door and walking up stairs with rifles, although it is unclear which vessel they are on.

The tit-for-tat comes as Iran has refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz despite the U.S.-Iran ceasefire President Trump extended indefinitely this week. Iran has called the U.S. Naval blockade of its ports and Iranian-linked ships a violation of the agreement.

Source link

Related Posts

Trump says he'll resurface Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, turning it blue

President Trump’s renovation kick has now reached the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The president told reporters Thursday that his administration is planning to pour down a new surface onto the…

Leads From $10B Bank Firm Break Out to Form RIA Prairie View

Three lead advisors from a $10 billion bank wealth team have broken away to form a fee-only registered investment advisor, Prairie View Wealth Partners, in Sioux Falls, S.D., with Raymond…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Missed

Trump says he'll resurface Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, turning it blue
Leads From $10B Bank Firm Break Out to Form RIA Prairie View
Trump likes a naval blockade. But Iran presents big differences from Venezuela and Cuba
U.S. forces board Iran-linked vessel amid tit-for-tat ship interdictions
SNAP benefits don’t pay for rotisserie chicken. A bipartisan bill might change that
Russians will surrender to robots. Russian robots won’t.