US Military Boards Tanker Suspected of Trying to Breach Blockade

The US military said Wednesday that it boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade, the latest action by the Trump administration to try to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the AP reports. US Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port. It's at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into opening the strait and accepting a deal to end the war.

The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations to end the war. Trump said he had planned "a very major attack" for Tuesday but put it off, saying America's allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal. Before the US blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to accusations it is holding the global economy hostage. The US military recently said that 1,550 vessels, from 87 countries, are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.

Last month, US forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. A couple days later, the US seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In early May, Trump said the US military would begin to "guide" stranded ships from the Iran-gripped strait. The next day, he announced that the effort to protect ships was paused to see if an agreement could be reached. Days later, US forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said the tankers were trying to breach the blockade.