US Forces Board Iranian-Flagged Tanker 05/21 06:16

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. military said Wednesday that it boarded an 
Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to 
violate the American blockade, the latest action by the Trump administration to 
try to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

   But President Donald Trump is facing his own pressure at home for shipping 
to resume through the vital corridor off Iran's coast. Fellow Republicans in 
Congress are battling political headwinds ahead of November's midterm elections 
as gasoline prices skyrocket and global energy markets churn.

   Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force Trump 
to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the 
president in the 50-47 vote.

   U.S. Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was 
searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian 
port. It's at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded since the Trump 
administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several 
days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into opening the strait and accepting 
a deal to end the war.

   The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called off 
renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations 
to end the war. Trump said he had planned "a very major attack" for Tuesday but 
put it off, saying America's allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to 
three days because they feel they are close to a deal.

   Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

   Before the U.S. blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as 
friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to accusations it is 
holding the global economy hostage.

   The U.S. military recently said that 1,550 vessels, from 87 countries, are 
currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.

   Nearly three months since the war began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on 
Feb. 28, Iran maintains a chokehold on the strait, while the U.S. military has 
enforced its blockade on Iran's ports as well as Iranian-linked ships that are 
far away from the Middle East.

   Last month, U.S. forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for 
smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. A couple 
days later, the U.S. seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian 
oil in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

   In early May, Trump said the U.S. military would begin to "guide" stranded 
ships from the Iran-gripped strait. The next day, he announced that the effort 
to protect ships was paused to see if an agreement could be reached.

   Days later, U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers after 
exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military 
said the tankers were trying to breach the blockade. The day before, the 
military said it thwarted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships and struck 
Iranian military facilities in response.