US says helicopter fired missiles to disable ship breaking Iran blockade
US Central Command says its helicopter hit the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
The US military has claimed that one of its helicopters deployed missiles to disable the steering mechanism of a cargo ship attempting to breach the US blockade imposed on Iranian ports. According to a statement from US Central Command (Centcom), its MH-60 aircraft launched two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova vessel on Tuesday as it tried to pass through the Gulf of Oman.
Centcom stated that the ship's civilian crew disregarded multiple warnings from American forces. The vessel is no longer attempting to transit to Iran, the statement added. Iran has not issued a response to the incident. The US has been maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports since failed efforts to end the war it and Israel began on February 28.
In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route. Around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas previously passed through the strait before the conflict, and oil prices have been volatile since then. Efforts to mediate an agreement on reopening the strait have so far been unsuccessful.
The US has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled three non-compliant vessels, and boarded two so far. A separate incident occurred on Tuesday, where Yemen's internationally recognized government reported that six people were killed and ten injured in strikes by Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
The group claimed it targeted a vessel carrying Saudi military equipment, marking the first deadly attack on a ship since the war started.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
