US helicopter fires on Panamanian-flagged ship for breaking Iran ports blockade

Trump reiterates America's 'complete control' over Hormuz despite Tehran's 'clear message' that strait will remain shut

by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar & Alex Croft

• The US military disabled a Panamanian-flagged commercial vessel, the M/V Vela Nova, in the Gulf of Oman by firing helicopter missiles into its engine room after it reportedly ignored warnings and attempted to breach an American blockade on Iranian ports.

• US President Donald Trump asserted that the United States maintains complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, but Iranian officials insisted the strategic waterway will remain shut until Washington withdraws and meets Tehran's demands, including compensation for war damages.

• Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to a one-week low of eight vessels per day as commercial ship owners avoid the area, representing a drastic decline from the 130 to 140 daily transits recorded prior to the conflict.

• Global crude prices increased as Brent crude reached $89.57 a barrel, while CNN polling analysis revealed that voter approval of President Trump's handling of Iran has fallen by 24 percentage points over two years, down to 29 per cent.

• Escalating regional violence saw Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch fatal missile strikes on shipping off the coast of Yemen, resulting in at least six deaths aboard a Yemeni vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and killing three Pakistani nationals on a separate Red Sea ship.

The US military fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman yesterday after accusing it of trying to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports.

The military said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship.

Details of the incident emerged as the US president told reporters late on Tuesday night that “we totally ⁠control the Strait of Hormuz ... Nobody else, only us”. "At some point, maybe they'll do something and then they get blown away," he added of Iran.

Iran was resolute on Tuesday it continued to exert power over the strait, and that the US must end the war before they will allow normal shipping to be restored.

Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the strait will remain shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back.

Earlier this week, Trump snubbed Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war.