US boards ship carrying Iran oil as Trump threatens mine-laying boats<\/p>\n
US Department of Defense A grey military helicopter hovers on top of a oil tanker, a soldier sliding down a rope towards the top deck as another uniformed soldier waits. The deck is lined with oil transportation equipment, including green pipesUS Department of Defense<\/p>\n
The US says its forces have boarded a sanctioned ship carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean in the country\u2019s latest naval move against Iran.<\/p>\n
The US Department of Defence (DoD) said in a statement it had carried out a \u201cmaritime interdiction\u201d \u2013 the interception or inspection of a vessel by a navy on ships suspected to be hostile or in violation of the law \u2013 on the M\/T Majestic X.<\/p>\n
The US has intercepted multiple ships after imposing a blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on 13 April.<\/p>\n
The latest interception comes as President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to \u201cshoot and kill\u201d any boat laying mines in the critical shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Under the blockade, US Central Command (Centcom) said it has ordered 33 vessels to return to port, and the DoD has said it will continue to stop ships suspected of \u201cproviding material support to Iran \u2013 anywhere they operate\u201d.<\/p>\n
Iran described one US ship interception earlier this week as \u201cpiracy\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump has been hoping to put pressure on Tehran by targeting the country\u2019s oil revenues and tolls Tehran said it has collected from ships in order to navigate freely through the strait.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a White House event on Thursday, he said the blockade was \u201c100% effective\u201d and Iran is \u201cgetting no business\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump also claimed to have rejected an offer from Iran to reopen the strait three days ago, saying that \u201cit will open when we make a deal\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hamidreza Haji Bababei, the deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on Thursday claimed the first revenues collected from tolls imposed on ships using the vital waterway had been deposited with the country\u2019s Central Bank.<\/p>\n
No further detail has been provided on the amount of the toll, the method of collection nor who paid it. The BBC could not independently verify this claim.<\/p>\n
The US has continued to impose its naval blockade despite Trump extending a two-week ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the first round of peace negotiations, has said it is \u201cnot possible\u201d to reopen the strait due to the blockade and what it called other ceasefire violations.<\/p>\n
Map titled \u201cUS blockade of Iran\u2019s Gulf coast\u201d showing Iran\u2019s southern coastline along the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman highlighted in red to indicate a blockade. Iranian territorial waters are shaded, with a caption stating \u201cUS blockade will affect all ships travelling to or from Iran\u2019s Gulf coast\u201d Ports and major jetties are marked with purple dots, including Kharg Island and Bandar Abbas. Surrounding seas are labeled, including the Arabian Sea, and a distance scale, source credit, and BBC logo are visible.<\/p>\n
Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said US forces have \u201ctotal control\u201d of the Strait of Hormuz while claiming Iranians are \u201chaving a very hard time figuring out who their leader is\u201d.<\/p>\n
A day earlier, Iran\u2019s navy said it had seized two cargo ships in the strait and taken them to the country\u2019s coast after reports that three vessels came under fire from Iranian forces.<\/p>\n
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated outlet Fars News Agency said IRGC was behind the attacks.<\/p>\n
BBC Verify has analysed footage shared by the IRGC that purports to show Iranian soldiers seizing the two ships, finding that while the two vessels \u2013 MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas \u2013 are clearly identifiable, aerial shots appear to have been filmed several hours after the reported initial attack.<\/p>\n
Greek authorities have denied the Epaminondas was seized and said its captain remains in control. However, the transponders of both vessels have been switched off.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Trump also said he had ordered the US Navy to \u201cshot and kill\u201d boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is to be no hesitation,\u201d he said in a social media post, adding that US mine \u201csweepers\u201d are clearing the strait \u201cright now\u201d.<\/p>\n
The update comes as the Pentagon dismissed reports suggesting that US forces may require six months to remove any mines located in the shipping lane.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne assessment does not mean the assessment is plausible, and a six-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an impossibility and completely unacceptable to the Secretary,\u201d Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell told the BBC.<\/p>\n
In a phone interview with the BBC\u2019s North America editor Sarah Smith, Trump said Iran is \u201cdying to make a deal\u201d, adding his stance \u201cseems to be working very well\u201d.<\/p>\n
The US president announced on Tuesday he would extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow the regime more time to create a \u201cunified proposal\u201d to end the war. He did not specify how long the ceasefire might last.<\/p>\n
Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, he disputed reports that he is \u201canxious\u201d to end the war, saying that while he has \u201call the time in the World \u2026Iran doesn\u2019t \u2013 The clock is ticking!\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the impact the war has been having on the already-struggling Iranian economy, including a massive wave of redundancies and a plunge of consumer spending, Tehran has shown little sign of backing down.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country is \u201cunited, more than ever before\u201d in a statement on X. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf issued similar statements in which they described Iran\u2019s \u201ciron unity\u201d.<\/p>\n
The war started when the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Thursday his country stands ready to resume hostilities and return Iran \u201cto the dark and stone ages\u201d.<\/p>\n
Katz said Israel is \u201cwaiting for the green light from the US\u2026to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran\u2019s supreme leader since 1989, was killed on the first day of the war in February. His second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeded him on 8 March but has not been seen in public since.<\/p>\n
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