Washington: US forces struck and disabled an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker that was sailing towards an Iranian port, the US Central Command confirmed on X.
According to the statement, the operation took place at 9 a.m. US Eastern Time on Wednesday, while the vessel, identified as Hasna, was transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman en route to an Iranian port.
“After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, US forces disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon of a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72),” the command said.
It added that the tanker is no longer proceeding towards Iran. The US military also stated that its blockade on vessels attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports remains fully in effect.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had halted the Pentagon’s mission to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, while maintaining the blockade of Iranian ports “in full force and effect,” according to Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, Trump claimed Iran’s military infrastructure had suffered severe damage during the ongoing conflict. “They had a Navy with 159 ships, and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” he said, adding that Iran had also lost its Air Force capability. “They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes,” he claimed.
He further alleged that Iran’s air defence systems, radar networks, and missile stockpiles had been “mostly decimated.”
“Their leaders are all dead. So, I think we won,” Trump said, adding that Iran was seeking an agreement. “They want to make a deal badly. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday (local time).
Rejecting claims that Iran remained defiant, Trump responded, “Well, why do you say they refused to submit? You don’t know that.”
Reiterating his long-standing position, he said Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. “They can’t have nuclear weapons, it’s very simple,” Trump added.
With IANS inputs