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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Maritime and security sources said US forces have diverted several Iranian ships near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, as tensions in the region continue despite a fragile ceasefire...
The United States military has detained at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is removing them from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
According to the same sources, Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian maritime trade, while Iran has fired on ships to prevent them from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the sea corridor at the entrance to the Gulf. Nearly two months after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran, there are no clear signs of a resumption of peace talks, although an uneasy ceasefire remains in force.
The closure of the strait has cut off about a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies and triggered a global energy crisis. In recent days, US forces have seized an Iranian cargo ship and an oil tanker. Iran, meanwhile, said it had seized two container ships trying to exit the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, after opening fire on them and another vessel. These are the first such seizures since the start of the war.
Reuters reported, citing two American and Indian shipping sources, as well as two Western maritime security sources, that the US has diverted at least three more Iranian tankers in recent days.
The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on these interventions.
One of the ships was the Iranian-flagged supertanker Deep Sea, partially loaded with crude oil. According to sources and tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform, it was last seen a week ago off the coast of Malaysia.
Even the smaller tanker Sevin, with a maximum capacity of 1 million barrels and about 65% of its cargo on board, has been detained. Tracking data shows it was last seen near Malaysia a month ago.
The supertanker Dorena, also Iranian-flagged, fully loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil, was also detained. According to sources and MarineTraffic data, it was last seen three days ago off the coast of southern India.
US Central Command said in a post on the X platform on Wednesday that the Dorena is being escorted into the Indian Ocean by a US Navy destroyer after it attempted to breach the blockade.
Shipping sources said US forces may have also seized the Iranian tanker Derya. The ship failed to offload its cargo of Iranian oil in India before a US waiver for purchases of Iranian crude oil expired on Sunday. It was last seen off India's west coast on Friday, according to MarineTraffic data.
US Central Command also stated on Wednesday that, since the beginning of the blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, US forces have ordered 29 vessels to turn back or return to port.
The US military has not released a full list of the ships it has detained and did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Derya and Deep Sea.
A third maritime security source told Reuters that the US military is targeting Iranian ships away from the Strait of Hormuz and in open waters, to avoid the risk of floating mines during operations. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
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