Iran says seized tanker in Gulf of Oman, as US ‘disables’ two ships | US-Israel war on Iran News

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims to have captured an oil tanker in a “special operation” in the Gulf of Oman, as the US army says it disabled two tankers searching for to enter Iranian ports.

The statements on Friday got here simply hours after the US and Iran traded hearth in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening a fragile pause in preventing and ongoing efforts to succeed in an enduring ceasefire deal.

In an announcement carried by the Fars information company on Friday, a spokesperson mentioned Iran’s navy had seized the Ocean Koi as a result of it had tried to “disrupt oil exports and the interests of the Iranian nation.”

State-owned Press TV launched a video of Iranian forces boarding and detaining the ship. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel is registered in Barbados.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) individually mentioned the army had disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers as they tried to entry Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman.

“US forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” CENTCOM commander Admiral Bradley Cooper mentioned in an announcement.

Hours earlier, the US and Iran traded hearth in the Strait of Hormuz, in one of the biggest threats but to the continued pause in preventing.

US President Donald Trump mentioned that Iran had attacked three US Navy destroyers in the strait.

Iran’s high joint army command, in the meantime, accused the US of violating the ceasefire by focusing on an Iranian oil tanker and one other ship. It mentioned 10 sailors had been wounded in the strike, and 5 extra had been lacking.

The command additionally mentioned the US carried out air assaults on civilian areas on Qeshm Islanda strategic level on the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz and had responded by placing US army vessels east of the strait and south of the port of Chabahar.

Trump has since downplayed the trade as a “love tap”, denying it constituted a breach of the present pause in preventing. On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the administration was nonetheless anticipating a response from Iran on its newest proposal for a extra lasting finish to the war.

Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance community with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington, DC, on Friday, in accordance with Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The pair mentioned the Pakistan-led mediation efforts to de-escalate the battle, the ministry mentioned.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, in the meantime, mentioned on Friday Tehran was nonetheless reviewing the proposal and contemplating a response, in accordance with remarks carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim information company.

He additionally condemned the newest assaults, saying Iran’s forces are intently monitoring the state of affairs and absolutely prepared to reply to any “aggression and adventurism.”

‘New maritime regime’

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serder, reporting from Tehran, mentioned Friday was not the primary time the IRGC has seized ships, referring to 3 beforehand confirmed circumstances in the Strait of Hormuz.

However, I’ve defined that it marks a shift in Iran’s technique.

“Iranians are seeing that the war has changed the strategic environment in the region, and these straits and the Gulf have been used against our national security,” Serder mentioned.

He mentioned Iran is developing with a “new maritime regime”, which can see the nation place “new rules, new regulations and new protocols”.

The new physique shall be known as the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” and can handle passages via the Strait of Hormuz.

“So, according to the new regulations that were just released, any ships attempting or intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in and out need to have full coordination and clearance from the Iranian forces,” Serder mentioned.

Ships aspiring to go via the waterway – via which a fifth of the world’s oil usually passes – should ship an e-mail to Iranian authorities detailing their nation of origin, what the vessel is carrying, and the ultimate vacation spot. Iran will then assess and ask them to pay toll charges.

“This is a new maritime regime. Iran is not giving up its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,” he mentioned.

He mentioned this daring transfer is symbolic as a result of it reveals that “Iranians are putting in control over these strategic chokepoints – without their approval, no ships are allowed in and out.”

‘Political clout’

Alex Alfirraz Scheers, a protection analyst, instructed Al Jazeera that by capturing the ship in the Gulf of Oman, the IRGC is “exerting its ability and its authority within the Strait – it’s trying to project power, which it can now do, which it couldn’t do prior.”

He defined that the IRGC is utilizing “control of the strait” to make the waterway “inhospitable and dangerous”, saying that this is sufficient to present that it has “strategic clout” and “political clout”.

Scheers linked this to the shaky negotiations, saying that if the United States is unwilling to compromise on the phrases of a possible deal, then that is the type of factor the “IRGC would do to tip the balance of things in their favor.”