Iran Targets Ships Passing Hormuz In Signal To US
The US military said two US merchant ships had made it through the strait, without saying when.
Dubai: Iran hit several ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and set a UAE oil port ablaze, as President Donald Trump’s attempt to use the US Navy to free up shipping provoked the war’s biggest escalation since a ceasefire was declared four weeks ago. Trump’s new mission “Project Freedom”, which he announced on social media overnight to release ships stuck in the strait, was the first apparent attempt to make use of naval power to unblock the world's most important energy shipping route.
But at least in the initial hours on Monday, the gamble appeared to have backfired, bringing no surge of merchant ship ping through the strait while provoking a show of force from Iran. The US military said two US merchant ships had made it through the strait, without saying when. Iran denied any such crossings had taken place.
The commander of US forces in the region said his fleet had destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Admiral Brad Cooper said he “strongly advised” Iranian forces to keep clear of US military assets carrying out the mission. Iranian authorities, for their part, released a map of what they said was an expanded sea area now under their control, which went far beyond the strait to include swathes of international waters, including long stretches of the UAE' coastline.