Florida [US], June 3 (ANI): The United States military has disabled a commercial oil tanker attempting to access Iran as Washington continues to enforce its strict naval blockade on maritime traffic linked
to Iranian ports, even as tensions remained high between Israel and Hezbollah despite a fresh round of diplomatic talks underway in the American capital. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), a Botswana-flagged oil tanker identified as the M/T Lexie was targeted after it allegedly attempted to sail towards Iran’s Kharg Island. The vessel, which was not carrying cargo at the time, reportedly disregarded “repeated warnings” over a 24-hour period to alter its course. In an official statement, CENTCOM confirmed that an American military aircraft ultimately halted the ship by striking its engine room with a Hellfire missile. This action is part of an ongoing enforcement campaign initiated on 13 April, during which US forces state they have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 others attempting to enter or leave Iranian maritime facilities. In a related maritime escalation reported by Al Jazeera, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) confirmed that its vessel, Sariska V, was struck by two projectiles in the port of Umm Qasr yesterday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had first reported the attack southeast of Umm Qasr, though it did not initially name the ship. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed responsibility for the strike, describing the Sariska V as a “US-owned” ship and framing the action as retaliation following an attack on an Iranian ship near Oman. However, MSC strongly rejected the claims, stating that the strikes were “completely unjustified based on the allegations made by the IRGC since MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel.” The shipping conglomerate added that the company is based and domiciled in Switzerland and is wholly owned by Italian nationals. As these naval confrontations escalated, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continued on the ground, even as Lebanese and Israeli representatives concluded the first day of direct discussions in Washington. These high-stakes talks are scheduled to resume at the US State Department on Wednesday. Testifying before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the sidelines of the dialogue, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism regarding a bilateral solution but squarely blamed the Lebanese group for the impasse. Rubio told lawmakers that “Israel and Lebanon can do a peace deal tomorrow,” adding, “Israel has no territorial claims in Lebanon. Hezbollah is the impediment.” Concurrently, Rubio emphasised that Washington intended for the negotiations regarding Lebanon to proceed independently of any diplomatic tracks involving Iran. The latest cross-border exchanges came after US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had brokered an agreement to halt the violence. Providing clarity on the diplomatic roadmap, Lebanon’s embassy in Washington later clarified that the arrangement would initially address Israeli attacks on Beirut and Hezbollah strikes on Israeli territory before potentially broadening in scope. Despite the active mediation by Washington, neither side has publicly endorsed the proposal as active confrontations persist. Amidst this ongoing friction, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam characterised the discussions as “the least costly choice for Lebanon”, despite facing robust resistance from Hezbollah. The necessity for a diplomatic breakthrough is underscored by the heavy human toll of the conflict. According to statistics provided by Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli bombardments have resulted in the deaths of at least 3,468 individuals since March 2, a figure that includes 35 additional fatalities recorded on Tuesday. Over that identical timeframe, at least 26 Israeli troops and one civilian contractor have lost their lives. (ANI)
