Iran attacked cargo ship at Strait of Hormuz

Iran Struck Cargo Ship in Strait of Hormuz, US Official Says

The U.N. International Maritime Organization said it would temporarily pause its evacuation operation pending further clarity.

Iranian forces attacked a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on June 24, according to a U.S. official who spoke with The Epoch Times.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) previously reported that a vessel was struck by “an unknown projectile” while operating off the coast of Oman, but did not attribute the attack to any particular nation-state or actor.

The UKMTO, which is operated by the British Royal Navy, said the projectile damaged the bridge of the vessel but reported no injuries or environmental impact as a result of the attack.

When reached for comment about the attack, a U.S. official said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a drone at the vessel in question.

The U.N. International Maritime Organization paused its operation to escort ships through ‌the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after Iranian forces attacked a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz a day before.

The Epoch Times

Iran's oil tankers disabled

U.S. forces on Friday enforced blockade measures

Two Iranian-flagged, unladen oil tankers attempting to pull into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the ongoing blockade were involved, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

The tankers, M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, were reportedly disabled through strikes from a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush, preventing them from entering Iran.

U.S. forces also disabled the Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna on May 6, as it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, when an F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln disabled the unladen oil tanker's rudder, hitting it with several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun. All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran.

"U.S. forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran," said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander said Friday. "Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work," he added.

CENTCOM said that multiple commercial vessels have been disabled and more than 50 have been redirected, and announced on Friday that American forces are currently blocking more than 70 oil tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports as part of a sweeping maritime enforcement operation.

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Iranian ship defied six hours of warnings, and the U.S. acted.

U.S. evacuates 22 crew members from seized Iranian vessel, hands them to Pakistan for return to Tehran

The United States evacuated 22 crew members from the Iranian container ship Touska and transferred them to Pakistan, where officials said they would be handed over to Iranian authorities on Monday.

The move follows last month's seizure of the vessel off Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman, one more chapter in an escalating series of maritime confrontations between Washington and Tehran.

Pakistan's foreign ministry described the crew transfer as a "confidence-building measure" and said the Touska itself would be moved into Pakistani territorial waters for return to its owners after necessary repairs.

The diplomatic choreography puts Pakistan in the middle, a transit point for crew and ship alike, while the broader standoff between the U.S. and Iran remains unresolved.

The seizure of the Touska fits a pattern that has defined the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Since the U.S. and Israel declared a fragile ceasefire with Iran roughly four weeks ago, neither side has settled into anything resembling peace.

Instead, Washington and Tehran have traded naval confrontations and seized each other's commercial vessels in a tit-for-tat that has kept international shipping lanes on edge.

Read more about Iran's defiance

Nicolas Maduro

Yemen Terrorists highjack cargo ship in RedSea

Terrorists Hi-Jack Cargo Ship

In a recent alarming incident, Yemen’s Houthi terrorists captured a massive 620-foot cargo ship in the Red Sea, with shocking footage of the event released on Monday. The video features Houthi fighters jumping from a helicopter onto the ship and taking all 25 crew members hostage.

The owner of the ship, Galaxy Leader, confirmed that their vessel was “illegally boarded by military personnel via a helicopter”. After the hostile takeover, all communications with the vessel were lost. While the company refrained from commenting on the political or geopolitical situation, it expressed deep concern for the safety and security of its crew members.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader cargo ship is leased to a Japanese company by a British company, partially owned by an Israeli businessman. Despite none of the crew members being Israeli citizens, Israel strongly condemned the Iranian attack against the international vessel.

"The company, as a shipping concern, will not be commenting further on the political or geopolitical situation."

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