US says it redirects 70 ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, disables 4 others
Chinese ships began transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night under Iran’s “management protocol,”Fars News Agencysaid on Thursday. citing an informed source.
The source said the vessels were allowed to cross the strategic waterway after they adhered to “the Iranian strait management protocol.”
It said the transiting of the Chinese ships was facilitated “based on the deep relations between the two countries. strategic partnership,” and following efforts by China’s foreign minister and the Chinese ambassador to Iran.
The announcement came after data from the ship tracking platform Marine Traffic showed. at least four China-linked vessels passed through the strait in the past 24 hours via Iran’s “safe” shipping corridor.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints for oil. gas shipments, has remained effectively closed to most vessels since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February, severely disrupting global energy and cargo flows.
Chinese ships start passing through the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian-approved transit protocols — TasnimTehran says the move followed diplomatic efforts by Beijing. was coordinated under the countries’ 'strategic partnership'pic.twitter.com/QRDKi5HmE9
US says it redirects 70 ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, disables 4 others
The US said that it redirected 70 commercial vessels. disabled four others to enforce President Donald Trump’s blockade on ships travelling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.
“As of today, CENTCOM forces have redirected 70 commercial vessels. disabled 4 to ensure compliance,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.
A Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50 lands on the flight deck of USS Truxtun (DDG 103) as the ship transits the Arabian Sea. supports the U.S. blockade against Iran.As of today, CENTCOM forces have redirected 70 commercial vessels and…pic.twitter.com/rXlP5RlIoW
Strait of Hormuz 'open to all commercial vessels' provided cooperation with Iran's navy: Araghchi
Tehran has called on BRICS members to condemn US. Israeli aggression against Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement upon arriving in New Delhi for a BRICS meeting among foreign ministers.
Araghchi said that the West's "false sense of superiority" must be shattered by the Global South.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi left Tehran for India’s capital of New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting.pic.twitter.com/XkYfa28hpM
While speaking toPress TVat the BRICS summit, he said the main obstacle in the Strait of Hormuz was the US blockade, adding that commercial ships needed to cooperate with the Iranian navy for passage in the Strait,. that it was "open to all commercial vessels."
Speaking to Press TV. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the main obstacle in the Strait of Hormuz is the illegal US blockade.Follow:https://t.co/B3zXG73Jympic.twitter.com/UkG7qJ57WC
Israel said it inks $35 million deal 'to extend F-35 fighter jet range'
Israel announced on Thursday the signing of a contract worth more than $34 million to develop “an extended-range” capability for the F-35 Adir fighter jet.
The defence ministry said in a statement that its defence procurement directorate signed the deal with Cyclone. a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems.
The agreement covered “the development of an extended-range capability for the F-35 ‘Adir’ fighter jet. manufactured by Lockheed Martin,” the statement added.
“The deal, valued at over $34 million (over NIS 100 million), covers the development. integration of external fuel tanks based on an existing Cyclone design originally developed for the F-16,” it said.
The new capability is expected to extend the aircraft's “operational range, reduce reliance on aerial refuelling,. enhance operational flexibility across long-range missions,” the ministry said.
Iran war overshadows Trump's China visit as peace talks stall
US President Donald Trump is expected to ask China to help end the costly. unpopular Iran war in discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, with peace talks stalled and the global economic cost of the conflict increasing.
The US-Israeli war on Iran looms large over Trump's visit to China. the first by a US president since his last trip there in 2017, although analysts say he is unlikely to get the support he wants.
More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, diplomatic efforts have failed to make progress towards resolving a war that has cost thousands of lives, reshaped alliances in the Middle East. driven up prices of oil and other key commodities around the world.
Washington has called for Tehran to scrap its nuclear programme. lift the chokehold it has placed on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas travelled before the war began on February 28.
Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports. a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah. Trump has dismissed Tehran's positions as "garbage."
Read:Iran won't allow US weapons to transit Hormuz
Trump's visit to China, which maintains close ties with Tehran. is a major buyer of Iranian oil, comes as the war fuels inflation at home and raises the risk that voters will blame Trump's Republican Party in November's midterm elections.
The United States hopes to convince China "to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they're doing now. trying to do now in the Persian Gulf," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News' "Hannity" programme in a clip released on Wednesday.
"We've made clear to them that any support for Iran would obviously be detrimental for our relationship. That obviously is going to come up in this conversation on trade," Rubio also said in the interview. took place on board Air Force One en route to China.
The Trump administration said on Tuesday that senior US. Chinese officials had agreed last month that no country should be able to charge tolls on traffic through the region, as Iran has threatened to do. China did not dispute that account.
On Wednesday. a Chinese supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, ship-tracking data showed, marking the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the channel since the war began.
Other countries are exploring shipping arrangements similar to Tehran's deals with Iraq. Pakistan, sources said, potentially entrenching Tehran's control of the waterway through which fertilisers, petrochemicals and other bulk commodities vital to global supply chains normally flow.
A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker managed by Japanese refining group Eneos has passed through the Strait of Hormuz. ship-tracking data from LSEG showed on Thursday, the second instance of such a Japan-linked ship traversing the strait.
Japan relied on the Gulf for about 95% of its oil imports before the war.
Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly travelled to the UAE in March for talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. which Israel said resulted in a "historic breakthrough" in relations between the two.
They re-established ties in 2020 as part of the Trump-backed Abraham Accords,. the relationship has strengthened since the UAE came under Iranian attack.
But the UAE's foreign ministry denied the trip took place. saying "any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded".
Iran. which has struck the UAE more than its other Gulf neighbours in response to the US-Israeli attacks, warned the Emiratis against becoming an enemy.
"Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable. Those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X.
Separately. Reuters reported that Saudi fighter jets bombed Iran-backed militias in Iraq, part of a broader pattern of military responses involving Gulf nations during the war that have remained hidden. Retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into Iraq, sources said.
US Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday he believed progress was being made in negotiations to end the war.
"The fundamental question is. do we make enough progress that we satisfy the president's red line?" Vance told reporters at the White House. "And the red line is very simple. He needs to feel confident. we put a number of protections in place such that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
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