Washington, April 20. Iranian armed forces have promised a swift response after US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed it had intercepted an Iranian merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman. The ship was reportedly attempting to violate the US blockade in the area. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had announced that US forces had intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, causing damage to its engine room.
“US forces deployed in the Arabian Sea implemented a naval blockade against an Iranian-flagged cargo ship attempting to approach an Iranian port on April 19,” the command said in a statement. According to CENTCOM, the Iranian vessel was given multiple warnings about the blockade violation. “When Tausca’s crew did not comply, despite repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spoorans directed the vessel to evacuate her engine room. Spoorans disabled Tausca’s propulsion system by firing several shells into Tausca’s engine room from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 cannon,” the statement said.
Subsequently, US Marines boarded the cargo ship. According to the command, the vessel is currently under US control. “Since the beginning of the blockade, US forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port,” the command said. Responding to the US action, a spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command said Iran would respond immediately if US forces seize an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman. According to a news agency, a spokesman for the Iranian military command said, “We warn that the Iranian armed forces will soon respond to this armed robbery being carried out by the US military.”
On April 13, the US Navy began a blockade of all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is the source of about 20 percent of the world’s oil, petroleum products and LNG supplies. Washington says non-Iranian ships can pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz as long as they pay no fees to Tehran. Iranian officials have not announced the imposition of tariffs, but have discussed such plans.
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