US military confirms disabling fifth Iran-bound vessel under blockade
The US military confirmed on Saturday that its forces disabled a Gambia-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it ignored more than 20 warnings and attempted to sail toward an Iranian port in violation of Washington’s blockade.
US Central Command said its forces observed the M/V Lian Star transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on May 29 and repeatedly warned the vessel that it was violating the US blockade.
After the crew failed to comply, a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, disabling the vessel and stopping it from continuing toward Iran, according to CENTCOM.
The US military said its forces have now disabled five commercial vessels and redirected 116 others as part of efforts to fully enforce the blockade while a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect.