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Trump cancels Iran strikes
U.S. President Donald Trump said he cancelled planned strikes against Iran, writing, "I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," after discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran were brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened as soon as a "great settlement" of the war in Iran was signed, which he said he expected would happen within days.
The same reporting tied the shift to a wider campaign in which the U.S. military launched new strikes on ships it said were trying to evade its blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.
In the background of the blockade, the U.S. Central Command said a precision strike hit the engine room of the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello after its crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces," and India later confirmed deaths among its sailors.
Indian sailors killed
India confirmed three Indian sailors were killed after the U.S. struck the tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, and India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the bodies would be brought back to India soon.
The BBC reported that the MT Settebello came under attack in the Gulf of Oman with 24 Indian crew on board, of whom 21 were rescued, and it identified the dead as Aditya Sharma, a cadet, Shivanand Chaurashiya, a fitter, and Patnala Suresh, a chief engineer.
In a separate account, TRT World said the U.S. strike killed three Indian sailors after India had summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in protest, and it quoted Sonowal saying, "Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified."
The reporting also said India lodged protest with the United States after the strike, with CBS News quoting External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying India had summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to register a "strong protest" and expected the U.S. to "take due note."
Blockade, protests, and next steps
The U.S. blockade on Iran-linked shipping has continued since it began on April 13, and the BBC said U.S. forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since initiating the blockade on 13 April.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the deaths were the first reported since the blockade began on April 13 and said the Indian Shipping Ministry announced that, at present, there are 562 Indian seafarers on Indian flagged vessels and 13 Indian vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
India’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, while the BBC quoted the family of Aditya Sharma questioning why the captain chose to go near the Strait of Hormuz and calling for an inquiry.
In parallel, the CBC account said Trump threatened earlier to hit Iran "very hard tonight" and take control of Kharg Island, and it noted that any operation to control the island might necessitate ground troops, something U.S. officials speaking to Reuters previously said had been considered by the Trump administration.
