Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempt to board US oil tanker as Trump builds military presence

Six Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempted to halt a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The security firm Vanguard Tech told its clients on Tuesday that the Iranian vessels were armed with .50-caliber guns, and they ordered the oil tanker to turn off its engines and prepare to be boarded. Instead, the tanker sped up and was ultimately escorted to safety by a U.S. Navy vessel, according to the Journal.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The incident comes as the U.S. continues to ramp up its military presence surrounding Iran, with President Donald Trump describing an "armada" arrayed in the area.

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Iran's regime has vowed that any military strike on its territory would ignite a regional conflict, even as senior Iranian officials signaled a willingness to negotiate with the U.S.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to Axios. The publication also reported that Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday.

The talks in Israel are expected to focus on Iran, following Zamir's weekend visit to Washington, where he held a series of meetings with U.S. defense officials on the Islamic Republic.

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Trump said on Saturday he believes Iran is negotiating "seriously" with the U.S., stressing that he hopes an "acceptable" deal can be brokered.

When asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether he had decided on a strike against Iran, Trump responded, "I certainly can't tell you that."

"But we do have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction," he added. "I hope they negotiate something that's acceptable."

The president then sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the U.S. opted not to launch strikes on Iran, saying, "Some people think that. Some people don't."

"You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons," Trump said. "They should do that, but I don't know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us."

Fox News' Efrat Lachter and Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.