US military says it has fired on ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce blockade of Iranian ports

A US military helicopter launched missiles at a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, disabling the vessel's engine after it attempted to bypass the American blockade of Iran's ports. The US Navy MH-60 helicopter engaged the M/V Vela Nova following repeated warnings from American forces that the ship continued to transit to Iran in violation of the blockade.

The ship's fate remains unclear, as no casualties were reported initially. This marked the third instance of the United States forcibly stopping a vessel since reinstating the ports blockade on July 14, with CENTCOM redirecting 55 ships and boarding two others as of Tuesday. Iran has demanded the US end its ports blockade before reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial corridor for oil and gas shipments that has seen a significant decline due to Tehran's attacks on ships in the area.

Meanwhile, six people, including four crew members and two from the National Resistance Forces, were killed by Houthis firing missiles at a commercial vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemen. This marks the first known fatalities from Houthi attacks on shipping in the latest conflict. The ongoing attacks on government-held ports in Yemen and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Red Sea, could potentially reignite Yemen's civil war and introduce a new front in the Middle East.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the country had stunned the world with its resistance against the United States and Israel, showcasing its strength and invincibility. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Tehran with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to encourage Iran to resume talks with the United States under a peace deal brokered by Pakistan in June.