US Forces Disarmed Iranian Ship

U.S. Forces Fire Into Engine Room of the M/T Lavine

The U.S. military said Friday that it fired on another merchant vessel that was trying to breach its blockade of Iran’s ports, while the Islamic Republic targeted American strongholds around the Persian Gulf. American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after the ship attempted to run the blockade at least four times. Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press that the crew was warned and didn’t comply with commands before the military fired into its engine room. It’s the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade. U.S. Central Command said it also has redirected 12 vessels in total.

The U.S. and Iran showed no sign of backing away from their conflict after a 13th straight night of strikes. With fighting flaring again and diplomacy uncertain, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East began alerting Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.

Regional Strikes Target Bases in Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain

As U.S. strikes continued, security officials in Irbil said U.S.-led forces shot down five explosives-laden drones, with repeated blasts echoing and plumes of black smoke seen near its airport where U.S. forces are based. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the U.S. base in Udairi, Kuwait, destroying three ammunition and storage sheds, and it also claimed to have struck a watchtower for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain. Iran has also attacked Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday. The Houthis said they would escalate after tensions have been brewing for weeks, breaking a yearslong calm.

Diplomatic Posturing and International Fallout

In the Oval Office on Friday, President Donald Trump described negotiations with Iran as by far the most serious that we’ve seen, even as the U.S. launched daily strikes and said it was “not in a hurry” to end the war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed that Iran will not bow to U.S. bullying and warned in an interview with Tasnim that the Islamic Republic is neither intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure.

Meanwhile, NewsNation’s Libbey Dean reports she has learned from White House officials that the U.S. and U.K. are working to convene a conference next week in London. The conference would be about the Strait of Hormuz and could lead to an international coalition to protect shipping in the waterway. News of the planned meeting comes after the British military said it is ready to defend itself if Iran targets the U.K. The British military statement comes after media linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pointed out that Royal Air Force Base Fairford, in Gloucestershire, was used as a launching point for the American military.

Iran also called England a primary cause of hardships in our region with a black record of partitioning Islamic nations, widespread massacres, imposing despotic regimes, and organizing the occupation of Palestine, leading the IRGC to warn the U.K.