U.S. Central Command said it disabled a St. Kitts-flagged commercial vessel after it visited an Iranian port and attempted to leave the region, violating a U.S. naval blockade.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
U.S. Central Command said late Saturday it disabled a St. Kitts-flagged ship after it ignored multiple warnings and attempted to leave the region after visiting an Iranian port. U.S. forces have been enforcing a naval blockade on Iran for months in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial strategic waterway for shipping, including of oil.
U.S. forces fired a missile at a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman Saturday after the ship visited an Iranian port and attempted to leave, U.S. Central Command said. CENTCOM alleged that the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda attempted to violate the U.S. naval blockade.
Before U.S. aircraft disabled the ship, CENTCOM said they “directed crew to abandon targeted spaces.” CENTCOM forces fired at the stern of the ship.
“Enforcement actions since July have resulted in U.S. forces redirecting 147 commercial vessels that complied and disabled five merchant ships that refused to comply,” CENTCOM wrote.
Earlier on Saturday, CENTCOM announced that Adm. Brad Cooper had directed the formation of a new Tampa, Fla., based task force intended to control the flow of materials across Iran’s land borders.
Task Force Iron Gate aims to prevent “the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea,” according to CENTCOM.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. military had carried out new limited strikes against Iran, targeting an Iranian air defense system. Trump described the military action to reporters as “minor.” U.S. Central Command ultimately didn’t comment on the action even after the strikes were confirmed by Trump.
The last confirmed U.S. strike on a cargo vessel was nearly a month ago in the Gulf of Oman. Saturday’s disclosure comes in the wake of at least two instances in which U.S. Central Command did not announce military strikes it has taken in the region and officials at the command declined to confirm strikes when asked about local reports of explosions.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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