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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar and Alex Croft

US helicopter fires on Panamanian-flagged ship for breaking Iran ports blockade

  • The US military disabled a Panamanian-flagged commercial vessel, the M/V Vela Nova, in the Gulf of Oman by firing helicopter missiles into its engine room after it reportedly ignored warnings and attempted to breach an American blockade on Iranian ports.
  • US President Donald Trump asserted that the United States maintains complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, but Iranian officials insisted the strategic waterway will remain shut until Washington withdraws and meets Tehran's demands, including compensation for war damages.
  • Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to a one-week low of eight vessels per day as commercial ship owners avoid the area, representing a drastic decline from the 130 to 140 daily transits recorded prior to the conflict.
  • Global crude prices increased as Brent crude reached $89.57 a barrel, while CNN polling analysis revealed that voter approval of President Trump's handling of Iran has fallen by 24 percentage points over two years, down to 29 per cent.
  • Escalating regional violence saw Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch fatal missile strikes on shipping off the coast of Yemen, resulting in at least six deaths aboard a Yemeni vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and killing three Pakistani nationals on a separate Red Sea ship.

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