U.S. jet disables merchant ship in Gulf of Oman – Putin relays Iran's position to Trump
The U.S. military disabled a ship that had left an Iranian port despite the blockade. Iran reported a tanker hitting a mine. Moscow said it passed Tehran's views on a deal to Trump.
Archive image · Photo: Official U.S. Navy Page from United States of America MC3 Jamie V. Cosby/U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
A U.S. fighter jet disabled the propulsion of the Panama-flagged commercial vessel M/V Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday with a precision munition, without harming the crew, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The ship had recently left an Iranian port. CENTCOM said four commercial vessels have been disabled, 135 turned around and 10 suspected "shadow fleet" tankers destroyed since the blockade began on July 14.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday, according to Iranian state media, that an oil tanker exploded and caught fire after hitting a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. The report has not been independently confirmed. Persian Gulf energy shipments have been severely impeded by the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, said Vladimir Putin relayed Iran's views on a possible peace deal to Trump during their call on Friday, without saying how Trump responded. Asked whether the Riyadh airport attack would change his pledge not to strike Iran before the midterm elections, Trump said: "Well, we're gonna take a look."