US strikes vessel violating Iran blockade in the Gulf of Oman
Photo: US military firing Hellfire missile (Getty Images)
What happened
US forces tracked the movement of the vessel M/V Lian Star, sailing under the flag of Gambia in international waters of the Gulf of Oman, as it headed toward an Iranian port. The crew was sent more than 20 warnings demanding a course change — all of which were ignored.
After that, a US aircraft launched a Hellfire missile at the ship’s engine compartment. The engine was disabled, and the vessel was brought to a halt, no longer continuing toward Iran.
Scope of the operation
According to CENTCOM, since the blockade began, US forces have:
- disabled 5 commercial vessels;
- redirected 116 ships to ensure full compliance with the blockade regime.
The blockade is taking place amid a current ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
According to media reports, the sides have allegedly agreed on a framework 60-day truce including the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations over the nuclear program, although it remains unclear whether Trump has approved it.
At the same time, the US president is increasing pressure: he has defined a threshold after which the US would resume strikes on Iran, and issued a four-point ultimatum to Tehran — linking the opening of the strait to Iran’s complete abandonment of its nuclear ambitions.
