Six killed as Houthi rebels in Yemen attack merchant ship

Tensions in the Middle East continue as Houthi rebels in Yemen

attack a merchant ship reportedly killing six and injuring 10 people.

Meanwhile, the US military fired on a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship

preventing it from entering an Iranian port.

Iran reiterated that it will continue to close the Strait of Hormuz

unless the US meets all its conditions.

US Central Command said the Navy dispatched MH-60 helicopters

opened fire on a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship attempting

to transit the Gulf of Oman, rendering it unable to reach Iran.

This marks the third such interception since the US again

imposed a blockade on Iranian ports on April 14th.

Meanwhile Houthi rebels in Yemen reportedly attacked a merchant

ship transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait

causing multiple casualties.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US still controls

the Strait of Hormuz.

Donald Trump US President said

"They don't have control. We have total control. We own it, and at some point,

maybe they'll do something, and then they get blown away.

Right now, we're in a very good position."

This as the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said Tuesday that Iranian forces

must be able to expand their operations into enemy territory and carry out

missions far beyond Iran's borders.

Naqdi added that the IRGC must achieve this readiness and develop its

military capabilities in a timely manner.

Meanwhile Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran Tuesday.

The visit is aimed at encouraging Tehran to return to negotiations

under an interim peace agreement brokered by Pakistan in June.

Pakistan's government had not publicly announced Naqvi's visit.

It was Naqvi's sixth trip to Iran since Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

added him to teams tasked with talks with Iranian officials

part of Islamabad's broader effort to de-escalate tensions between

Washington and Tehran.