The United States disrupted an empty oil vessel attempting to sail to an Iranian port on Tuesday, firing a missile into the ship’s engine after the crew failed to comply with directives in the Persian Gulf.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces provided repeated warnings to the Botswana-flagged ship over a 24-hour period as it navigated towards Iran’s Kharg Island.
To prevent the tanker from reaching Iran, a US aircraft launched a missile into the vessel’s engine room, disabling its propulsion.
In a statement via X/Twitter, CENTCOM reported this action marks the sixth commercial vessel incapacitated by US forces since the blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz commenced on April 13.
On Friday, CENTCOM implemented similar measures against a Gambia-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman attempting to access an Iranian port.
During that incident, over 20 warnings were issued to the crew before the ship was neutralized using a Hellfire missile.
CENTCOM has also recently targeted Iranian installations situated along the Strait of Hormuz, responding to Iran’s downing of a US drone in international waters.
On Monday, CENTCOM announced strikes against Iranian radar sites and drone command centers located near Goruk and on Qeshm Island. Concurrently, American forces destroyed two one-way attack drones posing a threat to maritime traffic in adjacent waters.
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