U.S. military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker in Gulf of Oman amid blockade

The U.S. military boarded the M/T Celestial Sea, an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, on Wednesday after suspecting it was attempting to violate the American blockade of Iranian shipping. This is at least the fifth commercial vessel boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade in mid-April to pressure Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an end to the war. The boarding occurred after Trump announced he had called off planned military strikes on Iran to allow progress in negotiations.