The U.S. Navy will be deploying a new generation of drone-based countermeasures to search the sea floor and surface for any mines Iran laid.
It was the first U.S. rescue carried out by an autonomous surface vessel and remotely piloted by a human operator, according to a military spokesperson.
President Trump vowed to retaliate for what he said was Iran’s downing of an Apache helicopter. near the Strait of Hormuz. The pilot and gunner were rescued.
U.S. and Iranian officials say they are closing in on the terms of a preliminary agreement. Yet sticking points, particularly over the Strait of Hormuz, remain.
As a potential cease-fire hangs in the balance, an official said the strikes were in self-defense, with targets including four one-way attack drones launched by Iran.
The warnings came after U.S. forces struck military sites in Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that negotiations to end the war were continuing.
The Nord, a 464-foot vessel, appears to be tied to Aleksei A. Mordashov, a Russian steel mogul who is under American and European sanctions.
It was the second such action this week, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Tehran.
Hours after President Trump extended a cease-fire, Tehran appeared to be exerting its authority in the contested waters near the strait.
The seizure was the latest U.S. effort to squeeze Iran’s oil-reliant economy, and came days after the Navy boarded an Iranian cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz.