US military boards oil tanker in Gulf of Oman

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US military boards oil tanker in Gulf of Oman

The U.S. military boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as U.S. forces continued to enforce the naval blockade that went into effect this week.

Associated Press

U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a forward-deployed, rapid-response unit based in California, boarded the M/T Wen Yao, marking the first boarding of a vessel since the naval blockade resumed Tuesday evening, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said.

So far, U.S. forces in Centcom theater have redirected three commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade, disabled one ship that didn’t comply and now boarded its first to ensure full compliance with the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate America’s steel wall blockade,” Centcom said.

M/T Wen Yao was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2024 for purportedly transporting Iranian crude oil and for its assistance to the National Iranian Oil Company.

Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. military began conducting another wave of airstrikes against Iran, marking the sixth consecutive day the U.S. has waged attacks against Tehran.

White House said that despite the strikes, Iranian officials are still talking to the Trump administration.

“Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and express that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a Thursday White House briefing.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Filip Timotija — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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The U.S. military began conducting another wave of airstrikes against Iran on Thursday, marking the sixth consecutive day Washington has launched attacks aimed at degrading Tehran’s military capabilities.  The strikes, which began at 2 p.m. EDT, according to the U.S. Central Command, kicked off less than an hour after the White House said Iranian officials were communicating with the Trump administration despite the barrage …

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On Tap Tomorrow

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The Atlantic Council is hosting a discussion tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET on “The NATO Summit and the future of US-Turkish defense relations.”

The Aspen Institute is hosting the fourth day of its security forum.

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is hosting a discussion tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET with Lt. Gen. Gregory J. Gagnon.

What We’re Reading

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You’re all caught up.

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