The US military fired a missile at the engine room of the Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star after it allegedly ignored more than 20 warnings while attempting to enter an Iranian port.
Washington said it has now stopped six ships from breaching its blockade of Iranian ports, while more than 100 vessels have been rerouted.
The incident comes as the US and Iran continue negotiations on extending a fragile ceasefire, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a key flashpoint for global trade and energy supplies.
US Fires On Cargo Ship Amid Hormuz Blockade As Iran Tensions Persist
American forces targeted a merchant vessel attempting to enter an Iranian port, marking the latest enforcement action in the Strait of Hormuz standoff
Summary
The U.S. Central Command reported on Saturday that the U.S. military fired a missile into the engine room of a merchant ship attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports.
According to the Navy, the Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star attempted to enter an Iranian port overnight despite more than 20 warnings from US authorities. The ship remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman, and U.S. forces have not boarded it, said a U.S. official with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, according to AP.
The U.S. military has prevented six ships from attempting to break the blockade with its most recent move. One was allowed to proceed. Another 116 ships have been rerouted, the military added.
Following the start of the Middle East conflict with Israeli and American strikes on February 28, Iran essentially closed the strait, prompting the United States to initiate the embargo on April 17. Since April 7, a precarious ceasefire has been in place. The area is currently awaiting word on whether an agreement to extend it by sixty days can be achieved while discussions on Iran's contentious nuclear program take place.
The world economy has been rocked by events in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman. Significant shipments of natural gas, oil, and allied commodities such as fertiliser are largely stuck, putting more pressure on consumers and food producers.
The U.S. blockade seeks to limit Iran’s own shipments and further weaken its access to cash, creating more pain for its long-weakened economy.
Despite Iran's claims that it must authorise all transits, commercial traffic has covertly continued to pass through the strait, albeit at a significantly lower volume than before the conflict.
“Any violation of these regulations will place the security of their passage at serious risk,” Iran’s joint military command said Saturday in a statement carried by state TV, warning that any military vessels trying to interfere with that would be targeted.
Iran has even imposed transit tolls of up to $2 million, which experts have described as a breach of the freedom of peaceful navigation tenet of international maritime trade.
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