US President Donald Trump has said that Americans have hit several Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz, where Washington is trying to safely evacuate stranded ships, the BBC reports.
Meanwhile, both the United Arab Emirates and South Korea have reported that Iranians have hit their ships. The UAE also reported that a fire broke out in the port of Fujairah after Tehran’s attack. Meanwhile, shipping company Maersk told the BBC that one of its ships, flying the US flag, had successfully crossed the strait with the help of the US military. Trump has dubbed it Project Freedom.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the events in the strait clearly show that there is no military solution to the political crisis, adding that the Freedom Project is more like a Project Deadlock.
Maersk reported that the commercial ship’s transit through the strait was without incidents, and all crew members are safe.
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to shipping since Israel and Iran launched attacks on Iran on the last day of February. In early April, the United States and Iran announced a ceasefire, during which Tehran ended its attacks on Gulf states, including the UAE, but since the ceasefire began, only a few ships have been able to pass through the strait. The United States has established its own naval blockade to prevent ships from reaching or leaving Iranian ports.
Trump said the Americans had destroyed about seven small speedboats, which was all the Iranians had left.
The US military said helicopters were used to attack the boats. Iranian state media, however, disputed Trump’s statements and, citing military sources, said that two cargo ships were actually hit, killing five civilians.
The US reported that on the 4th of May, a US-flagged warship and a merchant ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran called the information false and said that warning shots were fired at the US warship, which the Americans denied. Later, Maersk confirmed that its ship, the Alliance Fairfax, which had been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war, had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The company said that the US had contacted it to offer to leave the Gulf under military escort.
Meanwhile, the UAE Foreign Ministry said a tanker belonging to state-owned oil company Adnoc was hit in the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea reported an explosion on one of its ships anchored off the UAE coast. UAE authorities also reported a strike by Tehran that caused a large fire in the port of Fujairah. Three people were also injured there. All three injured are Indian citizens, and India’s Foreign Ministry called the attacks on Fujairah unacceptable.
The port of Fujairah is located on the east coast of the UAE on the Gulf of Oman, just beyond the Strait of Hormuz. The port is served by an oil pipeline from Abu Dhabi, allowing small amounts of crude oil from the Middle East to enter the international market despite the closure of the strait.
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