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US preparing to board Iran-linked vessels, seize ships in international waters in coming days: Report
Citing unnamed US officials, the WSJ said that the preparation to board Iran-linked ships aims to put economic pressure and to force open the Strait of Hormuz.
The US is reportedly planning to board and seize vessels linked to Iran in international waters in the coming days. The move, if implemented, would let the US navy expand its blockade beyond the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal said in a report on Saturday.
Citing unnamed US officials, the publication said that the move aims to put economic pressure on Iran and to force open the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil transit, central to the ongoing negotiations.
The WSJ report further said that expanding the campaign against Iran would let the US “take control of Iran-linked vessels around the world”, including those outside the Persian Gulf.
What US official said on plans against Iran
Earlier, General Dan Cane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a media interaction that the US had so far not had to board any ships. The US will enforce the blockade “inside Iran’s territorial seas and in international waters,” Caine said, as quoted in a Bloomberg report on Friday.
He reportedly also said US-led forces in the Pacific Ocean will also “actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.”
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key sticking points in the ongoing Iran-US negotiations. Iran recently announced its closure citing the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, a development that came as a big setback with just days left for the shaky ceasefire between both countries to expire.
In response, US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran, saying the country cannot “blackmail us" and that a tough stand was being taken.
What is US's Economic Fury?
With several weeks having passed since the war began, the US is seeking an end to the conflict. However, negotiations that took place in Pakistan recently failed, with reports saying that the hold up was likely linked to Iran and the US's disagreements on the demand for the suspension of Tehran's nuclear program.
Amid uncertainty over the future of the conflict, the US is reportedly trying to put economic pressure on Iran and the US naval blockade of the Iranian ports is one part of it. The WSJ report cited a campaign called ‘Economic Fury’, under which the US wants to pressurise Iran into agreeing to a deal.
Trump is optimistic that the naval blockade, combined with measures imposed under Economic Fury, will help facilitate a peace deal, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly was quoted as saying by the publication.
