Iran hits tanker in Strait of Hormuz as U.S. air strikes continue

Iran hits tanker in Strait of Hormuz as U.S. air strikes continue JON GAMBRELL DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 53 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: A woman walks past a mural depicting a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday. VAHID SALEMI/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, while the United States conducted yet another round of air strikes targeting the Islamic Republic as they struggle over control of the key waterway. The 10 consecutive nights of U.S. air strikes haven’t compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait, through which about a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime. Even as the U.S. and Iran inch closer to all-out war again, Iran’s interior minister travelled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks. However, it remains unclear just what new deal could be reached to end the fighting. The interim deal signed last month that was meant to end the fighting has crumbled. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. And as fighting intensifies, both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people. “Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world,” the U.S. State Department said in a new warning to Americans. Oil prices fall 1% after mediators propose U.S.-Iran ceasefire The escalation has pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks. Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday above US$88 a barrel and regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon, keeping pressure on Americans’ wallets ahead of midterm elections this fall. Meanwhile, the U.S. military identified two soldiers who were killed in Jordan in attacks that left a third person missing. Separately, the military confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to warn that “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump was planning to attend a ceremony on Tuesday evening at Dover Air Force Base, where at…