Washington, May 5 (IANS) Two US Navy destroyers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, US media outlet CBS News reported. The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, said the report, citing Pentagon officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, on Monday night (local time).No US warship was struck, though Iran launched small boats, miss…
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Tehran, May 5 (IANS) Five civilians were killed in US attacks on cargo boats, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday. Following the claim by the US military that it had targeted six Iranian speedboats, and given that none of Iran’s combat vessels was hit, local sources were consulted to verify the nature of the incident, according to Xinhua, which quoted the report.It was determined that US forces had attacked two small civilian cargo boats, which were travelling from Khasab…
Washington, May 4 (IANS) The United States will begin a major military-backed operation to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump announced a humanitarian effort to free ships stranded amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.Trump said multiple countries had approached Washington for help, citing vessels “locked up in the Strait of Hormuz” despite having “absolutely nothing to do” with the ongoing conflict.“For the good of Iran, the Middle…
Washington, April 30 (IANS) The US military has announced that its forces have intercepted 42 vessels as part of its blockade to prevent maritime commerce from entering or exiting Iranian ports. “Today, US forces achieved a significant milestone after successfully redirecting the 42nd commercial vessel attempting to violate the blockade,” US Central Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement posted on social media X on Wednesday (local time).He highlighted that the 41 tankers currently stranded a…
Washington, April 16 (IANS) A US Navy guided-missile destroyer has intercepted and redirected an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command has said. “Yesterday, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel tried to evade the US blockade after leaving Bandar Abbas, exiting the Strait of Hormuz, and transiting along the Iranian coastline,” the command said on X. on Wednesday (local time). “The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) successfully redirected the vessel,…
Washington, April 16 (IANS) Top US commanders in the Indo-Pacific will attend Senate and House committee hearings at the Capitol in Washington next week, Congress’s website showed, amid concerns that the US-Israeli war against Iran could affect America’s focus on countering threats from China and North Korea.Adm. Samuel Paparo, the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, and US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson will testify before the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on Tuesday …
Washington, April 13 (IANS) The United States will begin enforcing a sweeping maritime blockade of vessels entering or exiting Iranian ports from April 13, escalating tensions after high-stakes talks between Washington and Tehran failed to yield agreement on key issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.The move, announced by US Central Command (CENTCOM), follows a presidential directive and will target “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports”, including those along the A…
Tehran, March 6 (IANS) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday said that “some countries” have begun “mediation efforts” to resolve the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel which also led to the assassination of country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last week.”Some countries have begun mediation efforts. Let’s be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity and sovereignty. Mediation should addre…
Washington, March 6 (IANS) The United States signalled that its military campaign against Iran will expand in the coming phase of Operation Epic Fury, with American and Israeli forces preparing to intensify strikes aimed at dismantling Tehran’s military and missile infrastructure.Speaking at US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation had already inflicted significant damage on Iran’s military capabilities.He praised CENTCOM commander Admiral B…
Washington, March 5 (IANS) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will visit the headquarters of US Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday (local time) to receive operational updates on the ongoing military campaign against Iran, the Pentagon said.Hegseth will meet CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper at MacDill Air Force Base as US forces continue Operation Epic Fury, a large-scale operation launched last week targeting Iran’s security and military infrastructure.“On Thursday, March …