Middle East truce in doubt as US and Iran fight for control of Strait of Hormuz

(Al Arabiya) The fragile truce in the Middle East was in jeopardy on Tuesday after the US and Iran launched new attacks as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called “Project Freedom.”. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a social media post on Tuesday that the security of shipping and energy transit had been threatened by breaches of the four-week-old ceasefire by the US and its allies. The strait is a vital thoroughfare for global supplies of oil, fertilizer and other commodities that has been virtually closed since the US and Israel began attacks on Iran on February 28, causing price rises around the world. Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates was set ablaze by Iranian missiles. – Middle East truce in doubt as US and Iran fight for control of Strait of Hormuz