Tehran, May 8 (IANS) The Iranian army said on Friday that its naval forces had seized an “offending” oil tanker named “Ocean Koi” that sought to disrupt the country’s oil exports by abusing the regional circumstances. It said in a statement that the tanker was carrying Iran’s oil and sought to harm Iran’s national interests by designing a “special operation” in the Gulf of Oman.The naval forces directed the tanker to Iran’s southern coasts and handed it over to Iran’s judicial author…
Latest US Central Command News & Updates
Washington, May 7 (IANS) US forces struck and disabled an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker sailing toward an Iranian port, the US Central Command said on X.The strike took place at 9 a.m. US Eastern Time on Wednesday, when the targeted vessel, Hasna, was transiting international waters en route to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, said the command in a statement.”After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, US forces disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from …
New York, May 5 (IANS) The conflict between Iran and the US was on the brink of reigniting as Washington’s ‘Project Freedom’ to free ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz set off attacks by both sides, with Tehran also striking neighbours. US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief, Admiral Brad Cooper, said on Monday that Iran sent a barrage of cruise missiles and drones at ships in the Strait and the US Navy retaliated shooting them down.He added that six Iranian speedboats that threatened ships were…
Seoul, May 4 (IANS) An explosion followed by fire was reported on a South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea is verifying reports of a possible attack on a South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, officials said Monday. “The consular affairs bureau is verifying information that a South Korean vessel came under attack. We have preliminarily confirmed that there are no casualties among our nationals,” a foreign ministry official said.The ministry is also working to determine th…
Tehran, May 4 (IANS) Iran on Monday warned the US army against entering the Strait of Hormuz and said that they will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait.”We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz,” said Iran’s main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, in a statement.The warning came after the United States announced it would start on Monday to fre…
Washington, April 30 (IANS) The White House is asking other countries to join a US-led international coalition aimed at enabling ships to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, American media has reported. The so-called “Maritime Freedom Construct” (MFC) was spelt out in an internal State Department cable sent to US embassies on Tuesday, urging US diplomats to press foreign governments into signing up, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Wednesday (local time).The MFC would be a joint e…
Washington, April 26 (IANS) US military forces continue to enforce “US sanctions and fully implement the blockade against ships entering or departing Iranian ports,” US Central Command said on social media.In a post on X, the US Central Command said that 37 vessels have been redirected since the start of the blockade, noting a merchant vessel named Sevan, intercepted in the Arabian Sea earlier Saturday by the US forces, is currently “complying with US military direction to turn back to Iran unde…
Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Global oil prices edged higher on Thursday due to a stalemate over the next round of peace talks between the United States and Iran that kept the energy artery Strait of Hormuz effectively closed.The June contract for Brent on the Intercontinental Exchange traded at $103.35 a barrel in morning trade, up around 4 per cent from the previous close. Meanwhile, the June futures contract for West Texas Intermediate on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) rose 1.62 per cent …
Washington, April 21 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said it is “highly unlikely” he would extend a two-week ceasefire with Iran if a deal is not reached before it ends this week, according to a Bloomberg report.The Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until a peace agreement is finalized, Trump said in a phone interview.”They want me to open it. The Iranians desperately want it opened. I’m not opening it until a deal is signed,” he said. Oil prices jumped as Washington maintained its blockade…
Washington, April 19 (IANS) The US Central Command has said that the dock landing ship USS Rushmore is conducting blockade operations in the Arabian Sea. Earlier Saturday (local time), it was said on social media that a guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney is patrolling regional waters in support of the blockade operations. Meanwhile, the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock ship, is monitoring shipping, reports Xinhua news agency.The move came as the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutiona…