At least nine Iranian warships destroyed in major attacks: Trump claims

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday evening that nine Iranian naval ships had been destroyed and sunk deep into the sea following the joint attack carried out by both the US and Israel.

Some of these ships were large and important, which made the attack even more significant amid the ongoing major military operation, said the president on his Truth Social account.

He said the mission was not over yet. More action was planned, and the remaining ships were also expected to be targeted soon, adding that the goal was clear: to leave the opposing navy with nothing left.

In a separate strike, Iran’s naval headquarters was heavily damaged, with its buildings destroyed, and operations disrupted after the fresh wave of attacks.

Touching on an ironic expression, he ended his statement by saying, “Other than that, their navy is doing very well.” The world listened carefully, knowing that such words carried serious weight and consequences.

Following this development, shipping companies, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM, are rerouting vessels around Africa, away from the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after the US-Israeli joint strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

War risk surcharge

Hapag-Lloyd said it would apply a war risk surcharge for cargo to and from the Upper Gulf, the Arabian Gulf and the Persian Gulf from March 2.

CMA CGM also said on Sunday it would apply an emergency conflict surcharge for cargo to and from Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen, Oman, Djibouti, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Jordan, and Eritrea, as well as the Red Sea Port of Ain Sokhna.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said they were suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice.

President’s peace-making proposal

Meanwhile, the president has now proposed that the remaining leadership should come and join with him on a peace deal, following the death of at least 48 valuable Iranian leaders in the ongoing threatening US-Israel-led war on Iran. However, there are no official statements from Iran showing their inclination toward peace-making meetings in Tehran. Instead, Iran’s remaining leaders have reaffirmed the state’s commitment to continue targeting all of the 19 US bases in the Middle East.