US claims responsibility for attack on neutral civilian ship
US claims responsibility for attack on neutral civilian ship The US has claimed an attack on a Panama-flagged cargo vessel that attempted to travel through the Gulf of Oman in violation of the unilateral US blockade of Iranian ports. "A US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova’s engine room after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American…
The United States has asserted responsibility for an attack on a neutral Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to navigate through the Gulf of Oman, despite a unilateral US blockade of Iranian ports. According to a statement released by US Central Command on X, an MH-60 helicopter from the US Navy fired two Hellfire missiles into the vessel's engine room after the ship's crew disregarded multiple warnings from American forces.
The statement clarified that the ship is no longer attempting to transit to Iran, in direct violation of the ongoing US blockade, which remains fully in effect. The attack, initially reported by The Wall Street Journal, was identified as one of 60 instances where the US has intervened to block ships attempting to transit through the blockade.
No casualties were reported as a result of the incident. Earlier today, CENTCOM forces took action to disable the steering gear of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova, as the cargo vessel sought to transit the Gulf of Oman and circumvent the US blockade by heading towards an Iranian port.
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