Strait of Hormuz
Israel will provide intelligence support to the American-led effort to secure the waterway, says Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
In a TV address, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Tehran “favors talks and negotiations,” but insists that America lift its sanctions first.
A fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iraqi oil ministry says the ship, which Iranian forces claim was smuggling diesel fuel, does not belong to it and that Iraq “does not export diesel to the international market.”
The tanker, which Iran claims was smuggling fuel for some Arab countries, was taken to Bushehr Port, where its cargo was confiscated and crew of seven detained, according to Iranian media.
“We are gonna keep it open,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Countries from all across the world who have a vested interest in keeping those waterways open will participate.”
Emily Landau, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, warns that America must stand firm and “not relent,” saying the Trump administration needs to understand how the regime can “twist things, making it seem there are concessions when there are absolutely no concessions at all.”
Following the Iranian seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the United States is launching “Operation Sentinel,” a multinational effort to secure the vital waterway.
Britain is expected to announce diplomatic and economic measures against Iran after its seizure of an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Liberian-flagged “MV Mesdar” was seized by Iran alongside another British one, the “Stena Impero.”
The British vessel “Stena Impero” had 23 crew members onboard.
“ ‘The Boxer’ took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1,000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety of ship and ship’s crew,” said U.S. President Donald Trump.