US-Israel-Iran conflict: ADNOC CEO says Hormuz must be returned to the world ‘exactly as it was’; US Navy fires Iranian cargo ship; Latest updates
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said students are returning to in-person learning across all UAE universities and schools, praising the education system for maintaining “exceptional capacity for full continuity” during the regional crisis.
He told students “we are a nation that does not halt at challenges” and “does not cease learning and teaching,” adding “we are a nation that bets on you and builds its future with you, alongside you, and for your sake.”
US Marines departed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli by helicopter and rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel Touska in the Arabian Sea on April 19, after the USS Spruance disabled its propulsion following six hours of ignored warnings.
The boarding and seizure followed the vessel’s refusal to comply with US blockade orders.
US Central Command confirmed that the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Touska in the north Arabian Sea as it headed toward Bandar Abbas at 17 knots.
After the crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over six hours, the Spruance ordered the engine room evacuated and fired several rounds from its 5-inch gun to disable the ship’s propulsion. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit then boarded and took custody of the vessel.
CENTCOM said US forces acted in a “deliberate, professional, and proportional manner.” Since the blockade began, US forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to Iranian ports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has reached 10-year agreements with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, with requests from 11 countries across the Middle East, Gulf, and Caucasus regions.
He said the deals will include at least 10 agreements covering various categories of Ukrainian weapons exports, co-production arrangements with manufacturing lines in Ukraine and partner countries, joint technology development, and fixed annual funding commitments.
Zelenskyy added that a European track is underway with Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, alongside existing partnerships with the UK and France.
ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber said 50 days of closure in the Strait of Hormuz have blocked nearly 600 million barrels of oil, with mounting pressure on LNG, jet fuel, fertilizer, and other essentials.
He said “behind every missing barrel, bills go up for ordinary people everywhere.” Al Jaber called any payment demanded for safe passage through the strait “a protection racket,” stating “Hormuz belongs to the world. It must be returned to the world. Exactly as it was.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had a “warm and constructive conversation” with Iranian President Pezeshkian on the regional situation.
He praised Iran’s engagement, including its high-level delegation to the Islamabad talks and recent discussions with Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran.
Sharif shared insights from his recent contacts with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to serving as “an honest and sincere facilitator of lasting peace and regional stability.”
President Donald Trump said the US Navy destroyer USS Spruance intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Touska, in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to breach the naval blockade.
Trump said the nearly 900-foot vessel refused warnings to stop, prompting the Navy to disable it by “blowing a hole in the engineroom.”
US Marines have taken custody of the ship, which Trump said is under US Treasury sanctions for prior illegal activity. He said the US has “full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board.”
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