The US said a military aircraft struck the engine room of a Botswana-flagged oil tanker with a Hellfire missile after it “ignored repeated warnings” and failed to comply with instructions.
The incident comes amid a US naval blockade imposed in April to prevent Iran from collecting maritime tolls, a policy Tehran formalised through the creation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority in May.
US Says It Disabled Oil Tanker Bound for Iran After Vessel Ignored Warnings in Strait of Hormuz
Centcom said the unladen vessel was heading towards Iran's Kharg Island, where Tehran has been collecting transit tolls from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Summary
The United States on Wednesday said its forces disabled an oil tanker headed towards Iran after the vessel allegedly failed to comply with repeated instructions issued under Washington's naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to US Central Command (Centcom), a US aircraft launched a Hellfire missile targeting the engine room of the Botswana-flagged M/T tanker after it “ignored repeated warnings” and failed to follow directions on multiple occasions over a 24-hour period.
Centcom shared footage of the operation on social media, showing the moment the missile struck the vessel.
The US military said the tanker was travelling without cargo towards Iran's Kharg Island, a key energy hub that Tehran has used to administer and collect transit tolls from commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz since the early stages of the conflict.
Washington's actions are linked to a broader effort to enforce a naval blockade announced by US President Donald Trump on April 13. The blockade targets ships accessing Iranian ports and coastal facilities and was introduced to prevent Tehran from collecting fees from vessels using the strategically important waterway.
Despite US pressure to restore unrestricted navigation through the strait, Iran moved ahead with its plans and established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) in May to formalise the toll collection mechanism.
Iran has argued that the Strait of Hormuz runs through the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman and has sought US recognition of its sovereignty claims over the waterway. Tehran has defended the toll system as a legitimate exercise of its authority and a means of regulating maritime traffic through one of the world's most important energy corridors.
(with inputs from The Indian Express)
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