Iran: US strikes ship after Hormuz blockade breach
The United States struck a commercial ship attempting to breach its naval blockade on Iran, the US military said. According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the cargo vessel “tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port,” before its stern was struck by “precision munitions” shot from a US military aircraft. In a ...
The United States military announced on Sunday that it had targeted a commercial vessel attempting to circumvent a naval blockade imposed by the US on Iran's Hormuz Strait. According to CENTCOM, the cargo ship had tried to leave Iranian territorial waters after stopping at an Iranian port, before being struck by precision munitions from a US aircraft.
A video posted by CENTCOM showed an explosion on the stern of the M/V Huda, resulting from the strike. The vessel's crew, despite repeated warnings, continued to ignore the US military's warnings. UAE authorities reported that a fire on a ship in the Gulf of Oman had resulted in the rescue of 22 people. The US naval blockade on Iran, intended to pressure Iran into lifting its own blockade of the Hormuz Strait, has been in effect for several months.
Iran had previously imposed a blockade on the waterway, which previously facilitated a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies prior to the war's onset in late February. The blockade caused a surge in global energy prices. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed that three non-compliant oil tankers caught fire while passing through the Strait.
Iran has a history of attacking vessels attempting to navigate the Strait without its consent. In other parts of the Middle East, conflict between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and Saudi Arabia persisted. Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it had intercepted incoming missiles fired towards its capital, Riyadh. Debris from the intercepted missiles caused damage to a building owned by Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco, though no casualties were reported.
Witnesses told the AP that the building's floors suffered heavy damage. Saudi Arabia accused the Yemen-based militant group Houthis of launching two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles, although the group has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Reports from the Houthis stated that 33 people were killed in Saudi-led assaults on Yemen's rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa, on Saturday.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
