Iran Warns US After US Disables M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda Near Strait of Hormuz

Iran escalated rhetoric against the United States as tensions rose around the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the “clock is ticking” for US interests.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, wrote on X that “Any aggression against our vessels will be met with a heavy and decisive Iranian response against American vessels and bases,” as Tehran said it would respond forcefully to any action targeting Iranian vessels.

Africa For Press

The warnings came after the US military said it disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers during a confrontation near the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) identifying the vessels as M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda.

CENTCOM said the ships were prevented from entering Iranian ports as part of ongoing blockade operations targeting Tehran, adding to concerns over shipping security in Gulf waters and the potential impact on global energy supplies.

Separately, a bulk carrier was hit by an unidentified projectile off the coast of Qatar, with the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) saying the vessel was struck about 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha and that there were no casualties and no reported environmental impact.

Iran’s hard-line posture was echoed by Iranian Army spokesperson Amir Akraminia, who warned that countries enforcing US sanctions against Iran could face difficulties navigating through the Strait of Hormuz and said Iran’s adversaries would face “new weapons”, “new methods of warfare” and “new arenas of war” if the country came under attack again.

The US military’s actions were framed by CENTCOM as part of blockade enforcement, with a Seatrade Maritime News account saying a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled two empty Iranian tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks.

Al Jazeera

Qatar said a drone hit a cargo vessel off its coast sparking a fire early on May 10, while the UKMTO reported a bulk carrier was struck by an “unknown projectile” about 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha and that the “small fire” was extinguished with no casualties or environmental damage.

Kuwait’s armed forces said several hostile drones were detected in the country’s airspace early Sunday and were handled according to military procedures, as Washington awaited Tehran’s response to a proposal aimed at ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and limiting Iran’s nuclear programme.

In parallel, the BBC News Arabic account said Tehran established a navigation authority for the Strait of Hormuz tasked with granting ship passage and collecting transit fees, while the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would receive a response on Friday from Iran to Washington’s proposal to end the war.

The maritime incidents and competing warnings unfolded as the Strait of Hormuz remained a focal point for negotiations and shipping access, with the Siasat Daily saying a liquefied natural gas carrier from Qatar successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz after 14-hour disappearance from public tracking systems.

Seatrade Maritime News described the Qatar LNG carrier Al Kharaitiyat as the first LNG carrier to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the war started on 28 February, and said it headed to Karachi, Pakistan after reappearing in the Gulf of Oman.

The Korea Times reported that a Korean government team continued its investigation into the cause of a fire aboard the HMM Namu while it was stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, with a seven-member team reviewing voyage data recorder and closed-circuit television footage and testimony from crew members.

The Korea Times said 25 sailors, including six Koreans, disembarked from the ship following in-person questioning by the government team on Friday and moved to an accommodation facility in Dubai, while the incident has fueled conflicting claims over whether the fire resulted from an Iranian attack or an internal malfunction.

Meanwhile, the Al Jazeera net report said the war in the Gulf has driven thousands of ships and tens of thousands of sailors into a state of de facto detention, describing that about 2,000 vessels and more than 20,000 sailors are stranded amid rising risks and acute supply shortages.