The U.S. military said Wednesday that an American Navy aircraft targeted and disabled the steering system of an oil tanker accused of attempting to bypass Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports, in the latest escalation tied to mounting tensions with Tehran.
It is the second time the U.S. military has fired on a ship it said was attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13.
U.S. forces warned the Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna, which was unladen, that it was in violation of the blockade, but its crew “failed to comply,” so a U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet “disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from (its) 20mm cannon gun,” Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.
“Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran,” CENTCOM said, adding: “The U.S. blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports remains in full effect.”
On April 19, another Iranian-flagged ship, the M/V Touska, attempted to violate the blockade and ignored multiple warnings from a U.S. destroyer, CENTCOM said at the time.
The American warship eventually directed the ship’s crew to evacuate its engine room, which it then hit with multiple rounds from its five-inch gun, disabling the vessel.
Tehran’s forces effectively closed the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway – a key route for oil and gas shipments – after the start of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran on Feb. 28.
The United States announced its blockade of Iranian ports after peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough last month.
CENTCOM said earlier on Monday that more than 50 commercial vessels “have been directed to turn around or return to port in order to comply” with the blockade.
