⚠️ US ENFORCES IRAN NAVAL BLOCKADE WITH HELLFIRE STRIKE AS TEHRAN THREATENS DIRECT ACTION AND WASHINGTON WEIGHS EUROPE TROOP DRAWDOWN
⚠️ US Forces Disable Vessel Violating Iran Blockade: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman disabled the Gambia-flagged M/V Lian Star on May 29 after it attempted to sail toward an Iranian port.
CENTCOM said the vessel was moving through international waters toward Iran and ignored more than 20 warnings that it was violating the U.S. naval blockade. A U.S. aircraft then fired a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, stopping it from continuing toward Iran.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces have disabled five commercial vessels and redirected 116 others while enforcing the blockade as the ceasefire with Iran remains in effect.
❗️ Iran Threatens Action if Blockade Continues: Mohsen Rezaei, a military advisor to Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran could attack if the naval blockade continues beyond a certain point.
“As was predicted, the President of the United States is betraying diplomacy for the third time. By continuing the naval blockade and showing excessive eagerness in the negotiations, he has proven more than ever that he is not truly interested in negotiations and is pursuing other objectives.”
“We will break the siege through negotiations and if that fails then through direct action,” Iranian television reported in remarks attributed to the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard.
♟️ Trump Signals Possible Blockade Shift as Enforcement Reportedly Continues: President Trump said Iran “must agree that it will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb” and demanded that the Strait of Hormuz be opened immediately for unrestricted shipping traffic in both directions.
Trump also said the naval blockade “will now be lifted,” while stating that the United States would coordinate with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to extract and destroy enriched nuclear material.
Despite Trump’s statement, Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian sailors said the blockade remains fully enforced. According to the report, U.S. Navy vessels warned ships attempting to cross the blockade line after Trump’s announcement to turn back immediately or face fire.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said: “The exchange of messages continues, but no final understanding has yet been reached”.
🇺🇸 US Reportedly Weighing Accelerated Europe Troop Withdrawal
Reuters reported that the United States is considering accelerating the withdrawal of American forces from Europe and is expected to present proposals to NATO allies next month.
Washington previously announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from Germany over six to 12 months. Germany currently hosts around 35,000 active-duty U.S. personnel, the largest American military presence in Europe.
The report said the move comes amid growing tensions between President Trump and several European governments over the Iran war. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly criticized U.S. strategy toward Iran, while senior Pentagon officials viewed the remarks as “inappropriate and unhelpful.”
The reported plan would reduce U.S. troop levels in Europe closer to pre-2022 levels, before deployments were expanded following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump has also criticized NATO allies, including Germany, for not contributing more naval support to operations securing the Strait of Hormuz.
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