US military says it struck tanker violating Iran port blockade

WASHINGTON: US forces struck and disabled another oil tanker attempting to bypass their blockade of Iranian ports this week, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday.

A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel “after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces,” CENTCOM said.

It was the third such US strike this week and the ninth since the blockade began, said CENTCOM, which oversees American forces in the Middle East.

The strikes on the ship attempting to transport oil through the Gulf of Oman happened around 11.20pm EDT Wednesday (0320 GMT Thursday), CENTCOM said, which are the morning hours in the region.

Early on Thursday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported a tanker fire 21 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman, with the Indian embassy in the country saying the Omani navy was evacuating crew members.

According to British marine security firm Vanguard, the tanker had 20 crew members aboard.

This latest strike followed a similar one on Wednesday off the coast of Oman. Three Indian crew members were killed, leading the Indian government to lodge a diplomatic protest.

The US military said that since the start of the blockade on April 13, it has “redirected 135 ships that complied and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass.”