Iran war live: 3 tankers reported hit in Hormuz; Trump calls Qatar’s emir
Al Jazeera · Priyanka Shankar, Mohammed R Mhawish ·
One of the tankers reports explosion off Oman while transiting Strait of Hormuz, says UK maritime agency.
- 35m ago(14:15 GMT) Force is not Washington’s preferred route in Iran war, says former Pentagon official Sergio de la Pena, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence, says President Donald Trump has more than enough military capability to strike Iran, but that force is not Washington’s preferred route. “The situation is dynamic and so it all depends on what’s put on the table,” de la Pena said. “If there is a way forward, we will move forward.” “We now have three aircraft carriers in the region, all with their strike groups, and if the president wants to use the military option, he has more military capability than necessary,” he said, adding that US intelligence “has improved a great deal” over the course of the conflict. “The job of the Pentagon is to provide the options,” de la Pena said, but the final decision rests with Trump, who also hears from the treasury secretary and the national security adviser. He said Trump had promised he “will not accept Iran having a nuclear weapon”, adding, “That still stands.” “If we can get the job done diplomatically, that is better,” he said. “But if things are not resolved, the blockade will not go away.” He added: “The ball is in Iran’s court to choose.”
- 50m ago(14:00 GMT) US naval forces retreated 1,000km away from Iran during previous fighting: IRGC adviser US forces moved their naval vessels and equipment more than 1,000km (621 miles) away from Iran during previous rounds of fighting, the head of the advisory group to the commander of the IRGC claims. Ali Fadavi said Iran had responded swiftly whenever US naval forces attempted to move closer to the country, helping keep them at a distance. Fadavi added that Washington had failed to force the Iranian people to abandon their goals or give in to pressure, despite imposing punitive economic sanctions on the country.
- 1h ago(13:48 GMT) Crew member killed in missile attack on tanker in Gulf A seafarer was killed in an explosion believed to have been caused by a missile attack on an oil products tanker in the Gulf, the ship’s manager has reported. The MT Velos was sailing without cargo towards Bahrain when it was hit on Thursday, Greek management firm Velos Tankers said in a statement on Friday. “The company is greatly saddened to report the death of one of its seafarers, who was found fatally injured on board after having initially been reported missing in the aftermath of the explosion,” it added. The tanker is believed to have been struck by two unidentified projectiles 50 nautical miles (92.6km) north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar. Advertisement
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