US military destroys Iranian-affiliated ship in Gulf of Oman after evacuating crew

On October 14, 2026, the U.S. military took action against an Iranian-affiliated dhow operating in the Gulf of Oman, following its evacuation of the crew. The vessel had been observed conducting surveillance and targeting U.S. Navy ships in the region, according to CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command. On October 6, U.S. forces destroyed the Iranian-affiliated dhow that was engaged in surveillance and posed a threat to U.S. Navy vessels.

The U.S. military ensured the safety of the crew members by removing them before destroying the dhow. Repatriation efforts for the crew are currently underway. CENTCOM emphasized that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has persistently targeted thousands of civilian mariners and U.S. Navy warships in the region over the past seven months.

Previously, on October 10, CENTCOM announced that it had disabled a commercial vessel, named the Ocean Molica or Arika Sun, also flagged under Panama. The ship was struck by a U.S. military fighter jet while attempting to bypass the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz. The destruction of the ship's propulsion system did not harm the crew.