US fires on oil tanker, Iran's security tied to maintaining arrangements in Hormuz

U.S. forces on Wednesday fired missiles on and disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf, the U.S. Central Command said, reported Xinhua. The commercial vessel, identified as Curacao-flagged M/T Belma, "ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the U.S. blockade," the command said in a post on social media. A U.S. aircraft disabled the vessel sailing toward Kharg Island after firing hellfire missiles into the ship's smokestack, it added. "The ship is no longer transiting to Iran." U.S. forces reimposed its naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas on Tuesday. The U.S. military on Wednesday conducted two waves of strikes against Iran, the U.S. Central Command said earlier. Meanwhile, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Wednesday the country's national security is tied to maintaining "Iranian arrangements" in the administration of the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that Tehran will not allow the "enemy" to impose its will. In a statement, Qalibaf, also the head of Iran's negotiating team, said that the United States seeks to deal blows to Iran whenever possible to advance its own interests, stressing that Iran should adopt its approaches during war or negotiations based on its national interests and security, realism, and long-term strategy. He noted that Iran does not welcome war, "but we always must be ready for battle" to safeguard national security and interests. Qalibaf added that diplomacy and negotiation should be pursued in parallel to ensure the national interests. Addressing the recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, which envisioned a 60-day negotiation period for a final agreement, the speaker said that the MoU is meaningful only when its provisions are honored and implemented; otherwise, if Iran is not supposed to benefit from the deal, it sees no reason to remain committed to it. The MoU, signed on June 18 and aimed at ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon, now hangs in the balance as clashes between Iranian and U.S. forces have erupted over the past few days. Earlier, The U.S. military on Wednesday conducted a new round of strikes against Iran, U.S. Central Command said. "At 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT), U.S. forces launched operations for a second wave of strikes today against Iran," the command wrote in a post on X. "The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz." Earlier on Wednesday, the command said that it had begun launching a wave of strikes against Iran at 6 a.m. Eastern Time (1000 GMT). During the 90-minute wave, the forces launched precision munitions against coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island. On Tuesday, the United States conducted a series of strikes against Iran after resuming a naval blockade of its ports in the strait. Late Tuesday, the U.S. military said it had hit dozens of military targets, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems, near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas in strikes lasting seven hours. 3 drones shot down near U.S. consulate in Iraq Three explosive-laden drones were shot down on Wednesday evening near the U.S. consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, a Kurdish security source said, reported Xinhua. According to the source, who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, air defense systems of the U.S. consulate intercepted and destroyed the drones above the city. "The interception caused no casualties among civilians or security personnel," the source said, adding that the security forces immediately cordoned off the crash site to clear the debris and launched an investigation to determine the launch site and origin of the drones. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The U.S. consulate in Erbil, along with the nearby military base housing U.S. and international coalition forces at Erbil International Airport, has occasionally been targeted by drone and rocket attacks in recent years, with armed militias often blamed for the strikes.