A U.S. military aircraft fired on an Iranian vessel Wednesday after the ship allegedly defied repeated warnings and attempted to break through an American-enforced blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, according to reporting from The Daily Wire.
The vessel ignored multiple warnings from U.S. forces and tried to head toward an Iranian port in violation of the blockade, a senior defense official confirmed. The confrontation marks a significant escalation in the ongoing standoff between American military assets and the Iranian regime.
Details on casualties or damage to the Iranian ship were not immediately available. The Pentagon had not issued a formal statement as of Wednesday afternoon.
The incident comes as Washington has ramped up military pressure on Tehran following months of tension over Iran’s attempts to disrupt oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. recently became the world’s largest oil exporter in part due to Iranian interference with competitor shipping lanes, according to previous reports.
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France announced separately Wednesday that it is deploying its sole aircraft carrier toward the Strait of Hormuz as part of a joint multinational effort to keep the waterway open. The Strait is a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes.
President Trump had issued a stark warning to Tehran earlier Wednesday, saying “time is running out” for Iran to negotiate a deal and avoid military consequences. The administration has indicated it will not allow the Iranian regime to use the Strait as a bargaining chip.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has repeatedly harassed commercial shipping in the region over the past several months. Iranian-backed forces have also attempted to enforce a rival blockade on non-compliant vessels.
Wednesday’s confrontation is the most direct military exchange between U.S. and Iranian assets since the conflict escalated. Congressional leaders have been briefed on the situation, sources said.
Senate Republicans this week also pushed forward with nearly $1 billion in security upgrades for the Secret Service, legislation that gained urgency following last month’s assassination attempt on President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
This article originally appeared on American Faith and is reposted with permission.
