US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of breaching blockade

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Wednesday that it boarded an Iranian-flagged commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade.

U.S. Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port.

It’s at least the fifth vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration began the blockade of Iranian shipping.

The military boarded the tanker after President Donald Trump said he had called off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations to end the war.

He said he had planned “a very major attack” for Tuesday but put it off, saying America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.