Dramatic moment US Marines board tanker near Strait of Hormuz amid fresh blockade and bombardment of Iran

THIS is the dramatic moment US troops board a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz as Washington tightens its blockade of Iranian ports. Footage released by US Central Command (CENTCOM) shows Marines from the 11th Expeditionary Unit swarming the M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman yesterday. US Marines hover over the M/T Wen Yao in the Strait of Hormuz before boarding Credit: X/CENTCOM A stream of marines descend onto the ship from a low flying helicopter Credit: X/CENTCOM A stream of Marines descended from a low flying helicopter onto the deck where one posed in front of an Iranian flag. The operation was launched “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran“. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Centcom also said it “redirected” three commercial vessels that had been “trying to run the blockade” since it was enforced on Tuesday. It comes as US President Donald Trump ordered the sixth consecutive night of strikes on the rogue state – blitzing bridges and an airport. The operation was launched “to ensure full compliance2 with the US naval blockade Credit: X/CENTCOM Centcom also said it ‘redirected’ three commercial vessels that had tried ‘to run the blockade’ Credit: X/CENTCOM Seven people were reported killed in attacks on bridges in the southern port of Bandar Khamir, where a train station was also hit. Trump had threatened to “knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate” in a stark warning last week. Following the fresh attacks, Tehran has launched retaliatory fire across Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Authorities in Kuwait said the bombardment hit power generation and water desalination stations. Most read in The Sun The US blitzed Iran for the sixth night in a row last night Credit: Reuters The US blitzed a bridge in Bandar Khamir, southern Iran Thursday night Credit: Reuters The Gulf states, which host US military bases, have been repeatedly dragged into the conflict by Iran since the war broke out in February. Tehran also said it fired at Syria, for the first time in the war, claiming to target a US special forces base in Tanf. Syria said US forces pulled out of the base there earlier this year. Washington and Tehran have pushed the limits of escalation since their ceasefire agreement collapsed last week. And Iran’s bloodthirsty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned of an even “more crushing” retaliation if US strikes continue. The regime also threatened to prod its Houthi allies in Yemen to close another key strait – the Bab al-Mandeb at the mouth of the Red Sea. The move could cut off the main alternative route for Middle East oil bypassing the Gulf. It comes after a twisted mural showing Trump and his children in coffins appeared in Tehran, branded with the slogan “Blood for Blood”. A twisted new Tehran mural depicts Donald Trump and his children in coffins Credit: EPA Mourners hold a banner reading “Kill Trump” as they pay their respects to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Credit: Getty Iran has repeatedly threatened to assassinate the US president to avenge its supreme tyrant Ali Khamenei who was killed at the start of the war. An interim agreement to end the war has been left in tatters since July 7, when Iran struck ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the US responded with air strikes. Iran then announced the closure of the strait, but Washington reimposed its own blockade of Iranian ports. The escalation pushed the benchmark price of Brent crude up by another 2% to around £64 ($86) per barrel, its highest level in more than a month. Comment now