US disables oil tanker sailing to Kharg Island in first since blockade renewed
Article excerpt
The U.S. military on Wednesday appeared to disable the first vessel in the Iran conflict since President Donald Trump reinstated a naval blockade targeting Tehran earlier this week. U.S. Central Command said it disabled an oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf headed toward Kharg Island, which was known before the war as the distribution point […]
The U.S. military on Wednesday appeared to disable the first vessel in the Iran conflict since President Donald Trump reinstated a naval blockade targeting Tehran earlier this week.
U.S. Central Command said it disabled an oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf headed toward Kharg Island, which was known before the war as the distribution point for 90% of Iran’s oil.
“U.S. Central Command forces observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island,” CENTCOM said in a post to X. “The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the U.S. blockade. A U.S. aircraft disabled the vessel after firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.”
Trump initially instituted the blockade barring ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz in April. The restrictions were relaxed in June, when Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding, which was supposed to be a 60-day ceasefire designed to push the two countries toward a final agreement resolving concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.
The MOU faltered and completely collapsed in early July after both sides accused the other of violating the terms of the ceasefire. Trump subsequently reinstated the naval blockade on Tuesday afternoon after he announced plans to do so on Monday. The president said he was doing so with the goal of taking over the Strait of Hormuz.
The development is significant, as much of the world’s oil and gas supply passes through the narrow Middle Eastern waterway. Iran wields major control over the area, leading to sweeping global energy hiccups during its war with the U.S., since the conflict effectively shut down the strait.
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Trump has sought to force Iran to keep the waterway open, including through his naval blockade in the area. CENTCOM said Wednesday that during the first 24 hours of enforcement, it has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one noncompliant vessel. As part of the U.S. military’s overall campaign against Iran, officials announced Wednesday evening that forces struck command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities across the country “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
“CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas,” the Pentagon said. “Earlier this morning, American forces struck coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave.”