The tension between has added a new chapter in the waters of the Persian Gulf. The US armed forces confirmed this Tuesday that they attacked an oil tanker with a missile that was heading towards the island of Kharg, the main Iranian oil port, within the maritime blockade that Washington maintains on access to the ports of the Islamic Republic.
According to the United States Central Command (Centcom), the ship, identified as M/T Lexie and flying the Botswana flag, was sailing through international waters when it was intercepted by US forces.
The reason for the action, according to the official US version, was that the vessel repeatedly ignored the instructions and warnings issued over a period of 24 hours.
A missile against the engine room
The operation ended with the launch of a Hellfire missile against the tanker’s engine room. The impact did not sink the boat, but it did manage to immobilize it and prevent it from continuing its journey to Iran.
Centcom explained that the objective was to disable the ship and prevent it from reaching Kharg Island, a strategic infrastructure for the Iranian economy and one of the main outlets for the country’s oil.
The blockade that already affects more than a hundred ships
The action is part of the maritime blockade that the United States launched on April 13 on traffic in and out of Iranian ports.
Since then, according to data provided by the Pentagon itself, US forces have immobilized six commercial vessels and forced 122 others to change course.
All of this occurs while the ceasefire reached between Washington and Tehran weeks ago officially continues and while both countries maintain open contacts to try to close a broader agreement.
Negotiations are still in the air
The operation comes just hours after Donald Trump publicly denied that negotiations with Iran were suspended, after Iranian media claimed otherwise.
At the same time, the US Secretary of State, made it clear this Tuesday before Congress that Washington is not contemplating lifting sanctions against Iran even if progress is made on other fronts, including an eventual reopening of the strategic
The incident shows how extremely delicate the situation remains. While diplomats and negotiators exchange proposals to try to consolidate peace, military movements continue to multiply in one of the most sensitive areas on the planet for global energy trade.
