The U.S. military said Saturday its forces “disabled” a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman after its civilian crew “ignored repeated warnings” and repeatedly attempted to “violate” the naval blockade of Iran.
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“A US military aircraft fired precision munitions into the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, neutralizing the vessel after CENTCOM forces ordered the crew to abandon the targeted spaces. The cargo ship attempted to leave regional waters after visiting an Iranian port,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, adding that it continued to “strictly enforce” the blockade against Iran.
According to the military command, since July, U.S. forces have redirected 147 commercial ships that were complying with the blockade, while neutralizing five merchant ships that refused.
“In addition, CENTCOM has already destroyed 10 other Iranian commercial oil tankers that were part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ multibillion-dollar shadow network,” he added.
Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Saturday evening it had received a report of an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces in the Gulf of Oman, about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates National Guard announced Sunday morning that 22 people had been rescued from a cargo ship in the Gulf.
IRGC: Two oil tankers strike mines around the Strait of Hormuz
At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy said in a statement that two oil tankers, one east of the Strait of Hormuz and the other sailing in the strategic waterway, caught fire after hitting mines.
The guards said they took an “unauthorized” route.
“These two tankers, through multiple violations and by turning off their navigation and positioning systems, intended to transit the Strait of Hormuz via an unauthorized route. After hitting a mine, they exploded and are on fire,” the IRGC navy said in a statement.
The guards also accused the CENTCOM commander of “fantasy” and warned that any ship or ship that cooperates with the US military, “disobeys Iranian regulations for the Strait of Hormuz and enters the unauthorized zone, will inevitably hit a mine.”
Tensions between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz have flared again in recent days after the end of the midterm elections in the United States.
On Friday evening, there were reports of explosions on the island of Qeshm and the Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles hit the area.
A few hours later, US President Donald Trump confirmed that US forces had targeted an Iranian air defense system.
Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday evening that further explosions were heard in Qeshm, Sirik, Jask and Bandar Abbas.
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