The United States attacks a ship that was trying to reach an Iranian port near the Strait of Hormuz

WashingtonUnited States forces have attacked a ship attempting to break Washington's blockade on Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) reported this Saturday. The ship M/V Lian Star was sailing under a Gambian flag through international waters and was heading to a port in the Gulf of Oman, according to the same source. The United States issued "more than twenty warnings and informed the ship that it was violating the American blockade." However, the vessel did not stop, and it was then that an American aircraft fired on its engine room, leaving it out of service.

Before the incident, also this Saturday, Iranian armed forces had declared that the strategic Strait of Hormuz is under Iran's complete control, and warned that any attempt at military interference in this maritime route would receive a response from Iran. For the moment, however, there has been no reaction from Tehran after the attack on the ship.

In April, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a blockade on Iranian ports due to Tehran's refusal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it keeps closed in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel on its territory. Since then, the United States has put five commercial ships out of service and diverted 116 more to enforce the siege, according to Centcom.

Without decision

After Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would make a "final decision" on Iran imminently, the United States made it known this Saturday that the tycoon is not only in no hurry, but also willing to attack the country again if it does not accept an agreement, that is, if it does not soon yield to its conditions.

"Our ability to restart if necessary... we are more than capable," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from Singapore, where he participated in Asia's most important forum of defense, military, and diplomatic leaders. "Our reserves are more than sufficient to do so, both there and around the world, so we are in a very good position," he added.

The Pentagon also reported that Trump is "patient" and wants to reach a "major deal" that guarantees Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon. On Friday, Trump made it clear once again that this is his main objective, despite previous reports suggesting that both the United States and Iran had agreed to leave the nuclear issue out of negotiations to focus only on the Strait of Hormuz, at least for now.

On Friday, Trump announced that he would meet in the White House crisis room with the aim of making a final decision on Iran. However, the meeting ended and no decision was made public, nor were the obstacles detailed that prevent achieving the initial agreement that had been announced days earlier. For its part, the Iranian government continues to show its complete distrust towards the United States.

Although Trump now claims he is in no hurry to reach an agreement, the truth is that time is playing against him. There are only five months left until the midterm elections in the United States and, according to polls, his voters are increasingly dissatisfied because he is spending billions of dollars on a foreign conflict, despite promising in his election campaign that he would focus on improving the well-being of Americans.