Washington: The US military fired on an Iranian oil tanker Wednesday as President Donald Trump sought to pressure Tehran into reaching a deal to end the war. The Islamic Republic said it was reviewing the latest American proposals.
A fighter jet shot out the rudder of the tanker in the Gulf of Oman as it tried to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports, US Central Command said in a social media post.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it observed M/T Hasna as it transited international waters enroute to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade.
After Hasna’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, US forces disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds. “Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran,” the CENTCOM communication said.
The attack occurred as Iran and the US are officially in a ceasefire. Trump threatened Tehran with a new wave of bombing if a deal is not reached that includes opening the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Trump posted on social media that the two-month war could soon end and that oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict could restart. But he said that depends on Iran accepting a reported agreement that the president did not detail.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump wrote.
Trump insisted Wednesday that Iranian officials want to end the war.
“We’re dealing with people that want to make a deal very much, and we’ll see whether or not they can make a deal that’s satisfactory to us,” the president said.
He suggested that the US could ultimately force a settlement.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump said on social media, “and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
The White House believes it is near an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum to end the war, according to reporting by Axios. There is no deal yet, but provisions include a moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, lifting of US sanctions, distribution of frozen Iranian funds and opening the strait for ships.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the possible agreement.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, told state TV that Tehran had “strongly rejected” US proposals reported by Axios, but that it was still examining the latest US proposal.
A shaky ceasefire between the US and Tehran has largely held since April 8. Pakistan hosted in-person talks last month between the two countries, but they failed to reach an agreement.
Trump sought to increase pressure on Tehran the day after he suspended a short-lived US effort to force open a safe passage for commercial ships through the strait. The waterway was a vital passage for oil and gas supplies, fertilizer and other petroleum products before the war.
Only two American-flagged merchant ships are known to have passed through the US-guarded route after it opened Monday. The US military said it sank six Iranian small boats threatening civilian ships.