US boards ship carrying Iran oil as Trump threatens mine-laying vessels

US boards ship carrying Iran oil as Trump threatens mine-laying vessels6 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRorey BosottiBBC NewsUS Department of DefenseThe US says its forces have boarded a sanctioned ship carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean in the country's latest naval move against Iran.The US Department of Defence (DoD) said in a statement it had carried out a "maritime interdiction" - the interception or inspection of a vessel by a navy on ships suspected to be hostile or in violation of the law - on the M/T Majestic X.The US has intercepted multiple ships after imposing a blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on 13 April.The latest interception comes as President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to "shoot and kill" any boat laying mines in the critical shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz.Under the blockade, US Central Command (Centcom) said it has ordered 33 vessels to return to port, and the DoD has said it will continue to stop ships suspected of "providing material support to Iran - anywhere they operate".Iran described one US ship interception earlier this week as "piracy".Trump has been hoping to put pressure on Tehran by targeting the country's oil revenues and tolls Tehran said it has collected from ships in order to navigate freely through the strait.Speaking at a White House event on Thursday, he said the blockade was "100% effective" and Iran is "getting no business".Trump also claimed to have rejected an offer from Iran to reopen the strait three days ago, saying that "it will open when we make a deal".Hamidreza Haji Bababei, the deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on Thursday claimed the first revenues collected from tolls imposed on ships using the vital waterway had been deposited with the country's Central Bank.No further detail has been provided on the amount of the toll, the method of collection nor who paid it....