US forces disabled a Panama-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly attempted to breach Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
A US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova on Tuesday (August 11) night local time, after its civilian crew ignored repeated warnings, according to CENTCOM. The strike disabled the vessel’s steering system and stopped it from continuing towards Iran.
“The ship is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade, which remains in full effect,” CENTCOM said.
The military did not disclose whether anyone aboard the vessel was injured. Maritime sources told Reuters that the ship was struck off Pakistan while sailing into the Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM said it had redirected 55 commercial vessels accused of attempting to breach the blockade as of August 11. US forces have also disabled three vessels that did not comply with their directions and boarded two others.
The incident came amid heightened tensions along major shipping routes in West Asia and fading hopes of an imminent agreement to ease the months-long US-Iran conflict.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions for ending the war, including the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to regional conflicts. The strategic waterway carries about a fifth of global oil and gas supplies.
Traffic through the strait fell to six vessels on Monday, Reuters reported, well below the 10-day average of around 11 and the pre-war norm of 130 to 140 ships.
US President Donald Trump, however, insisted on Tuesday that American forces had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, where more than 15 US warships have been deployed.