US military plans to board and seize Iran-linked tankers in coming days: Report

US plans to board Iran-linked oil tankers in world waters as Iran tightens control of the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions and raising concerns over world shipping.

America is making ready to escalate its maritime crackdown on Iran beyond the West Asia by planning to board and rob oil tankers linked to Tehran in world waters within the arrival days, the Wall Facet road Journal reported on Saturday, citing US officials.

It comes as Iran’s protection drive has tightened control over the vital shipping lane, reportedly attacking quite a lot of commercial vessels on Saturday whereas declaring that the strait is below “strict” oversight.

The grief has created fresh uncertainty for world shipping, severely after conflicting indicators from Tehran. Factual a day earlier, Iran’s foreign minister had announced that the waterway modified into once fully originate to commercial traffic, an announcement that had been welcomed by US President Donald Trump.

On the other hand, the subsequent incidents and renewed restrictions occupy forced shipping companies to reassess routes and safety features, underscoring the volatility of the plight.

Late on Saturday morning, Iran’s central protection drive articulate acknowledged that, in response to the US blockade, “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous diagram” and “is below strict administration and control of the militia”.

Trump had previously acknowledged the 2 aspects had been “very shut” to striking a deal, nonetheless following Iran’s announcement on Saturday, he insisted Tehran “can’t blackmail us”, at the same time as he maintained communications had been ongoing.

“We’ll be talking about Iran later. We occupy very apt conversations occurring,” he added, accusing Tehran of getting “rather cute” with its most modern strikes.

Iran’s high national security body, meanwhile, acknowledged that at some level of a talk over with by the protection drive chief of mediator Pakistan that concluded Saturday, “fresh proposals occupy been imply by the People, which the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently reviewing and has no longer but spoke back to”.

It went on to tell, nevertheless, that Iran’s negotiating delegation would no longer provide “even the slightest compromise, retreat or leniency” in talks with Washington.

The Strait of Hormuz stays some of the sector’s most significant vitality corridors and any disruption to traffic by the passage carries most critical implications for world oil present and prices.

With inputs from agencies