Iranian Forces Board Tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran seized the ship, as reported by the U.S. military, in an apparent response to the Trump administration’s ‘maximum pressure campaign,’ analysts say. IRANIAN FORCES BOARDED a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the U.S. military command overseeing operations in the region says, though it's yet unclear what it expected to achieve with the provocative maneuver. [ READ: Military Chief: Iran Will ‘Destroy’ U.S. Ships If threatened ] US military says Iran seized, released oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz area: report Play Video NOW PLAYINGUS military says Iran seized, released oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz area: report China Avoids Top Trump Aides in Hong Kong Retaliatory Sanctions China to Sanction 11 Americans, Including Republican Senators Trump calls Israel, UAE deal a 'truly historic moment' U.S. weekly jobless claims fall below 1 million U.S. Central Command reported late Wednesday that two Iranian ships and a helicopter carrying Iranian troops boarded the "Wila" tanker and overtook it. The Liberian-flagged vessel is owned by a Greek company and had been operating in international waters near the middle of the contentious strait before sailing to Oman, where it remained as of Thursday morning, according to MarineTraffic, which tracks ships and their movement. Central Command, which posted a video on Twitter of a helicopter hovering over a ship, did not provide an explanation for why Iran may have tried to seize the vessel, and Tehran as of Thursday morning had not made any mention publicly of the incident