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World
US officials confirmed to CBS News that a ground-launched cruise missile targeted a cargo ship in the Gulf region, causing multiple injuries among its Filipino crew members.
US officials confirmed to CBS News that a ground-launched cruise missile targeted a cargo ship in the Gulf region, causing multiple injuries among its Filipino crew members. The officials stated that the attack occurred Tuesday evening local time, targeting the ship "CGM Saint Anthony" owned by a French company.
According to available ship tracking data, the vessel was near Dubai on Tuesday afternoon, but it remains unclear whether it has changed its position since then. Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported receiving a notification about a cargo ship being struck by an unidentified projectile.
In a related context, two US officials stated that two American commercial ships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, carrying US military security teams on board, and were subjected to Iranian attacks during the passage. The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced that Iran targeted the two ships with missiles, drones, and small armed boats, but the US military managed to intercept the attacks and blow up the small boats.
This is the first time that US military security personnel have been observed on board ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to open this vital passage under what is known as the "Freedom Project." US military ships were guiding commercial vessels through the Iranian blockade of the strait, constituting a new involvement in the conflict and increasing the exposure of the US military to Iranian forces.
US President Donald Trump announced the temporary suspension of the "Freedom Project" operation, which aimed to guide stranded ships in the Strait of Hormuz and safely escort them out, while maintaining the naval blockade in full force. In a post by Trump on the "Truth Social" platform: "At the request of Pakistan and other countries, and in light of the great military success we achieved during the campaign against the state of Iran, as well as the fact that significant progress has been made towards reaching a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that the 'Freedom Project' (movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be suspended for a short period of time, to see whether the agreement can be finalized and signed or not."
This announcement comes just days after the launch of the "Freedom Project" on May 4, during which the US military engaged in clashes with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, destroying 6 Iranian boats that were attempting to obstruct the initiative. Since Sunday, the UKMTO organization has reported incidents involving other ships in the region, including a fire, a projectile strike, and an attack by small boats.
