BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 3. The US Central
Command (CENTCOM) announced that none of the 11 Iranian ships
previously stationed in the Gulf of Oman remain in the area,
Trend reports,
citing CENTCOM’s statement on X.
The statement said: “Two days ago, there were 11 Iranian ships
in the Gulf of Oman; today, they are not there.”
CENTCOM added that the United States will continue freedom of
navigation operations and reaffirmed that its area of operational
responsibility includes the Middle East.
Following the 2nd round of nuclear talks between Washington and
Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S.
increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150
aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between
Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the
administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations
were viewed as the final chance to strike a deal diplomatically.
However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt
uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept
indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its
airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country’s Defense Minister
Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.
In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by
Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly
resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei
and several members of his family.
Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and
security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief
of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme
Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and
Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
