Report: US helicopter opened fire on a ship that tried to violate the blockade on Iran
According to The Wall Street Journal, US forces fired a missile at the rudder of the ship "Vela Nova" in the Gulf of Oman after its crew ignored warnings. A fire broke out on deck and was extinguished. There are no casualties among the 17 crew members.
United States military forces opened fire this morning (Tuesday) at a container ship flying the Panamanian flag after it attempted to violate the naval blockade imposed by the US on Iranian ports, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing an American source. Full official confirmation from all parties involved has not yet been received.
According to the report, the incident occurred before dawn in the Gulf of Oman, about 114 km off the coast of Pakistan, as the ship was sailing westward. A US military helicopter fired a missile at the vessel's rudder after the ship's crew ignored explicit warnings from US forces operating to enforce the blockade. The newspaper wrote that the maritime security company Vanguard identified the vessel as the container ship "Vela Nova". According to the company's initial report, the missile strike caused a fire on deck, but the fire was subsequently extinguished. All 17 crew members were located safe and sound, and no casualties were reported in the incident. The American source added that after the strike, the ship appeared to be attempting to transfer its crew to another civilian vessel.
The event marks a further escalation in the enforcement of the naval blockade by the Donald Trump administration, as part of the effort to tighten economic pressure on the regime in Iran and prevent it from generating revenue. Last June, three Indian sailors were killed during a US operation to enforce the blockade — the first reported cases of fatalities within the framework of the American move.
Trump demands compensation from Tehran
Parallel to the escalation on the ground, President Donald Trump addressed the demand by Iranian representatives to receive compensation for the damages caused to them during the military confrontation that has been ongoing for the past five months. Trump noted that the issue of Iranian compensation was never raised in talks or meetings held between the sides, but clarified that he intends to present a counter-demand.
"Iran is demanding compensation? That is an interesting idea, because now I am similarly demanding compensation from Iran, for all the people they have killed and wounded," Trump declared, listing a long series of victims of the Iranian regime's actions over the years.
In his remarks, he referred to victims hit by roadside bombs and in conflicts led by General Qasem Soleimani, the families of those killed on the USS Cole, and thousands of others who fell in battle. In addition, the president demanded compensation for the families of hundreds of thousands of protesters killed by the regime in the last 50 years, alongside the 52,000 people killed in the last five months of fighting. The American president concluded his remarks with an unequivocal clarification regarding future political contacts, noting that he has instructed his representatives to include the American compensation demand explicitly in any future negotiations with Iran, without exception.
