US forces disable cargo ship in Gulf of Oman during Iran blockade
The US military says the St. Kitts-flagged Huda was struck after its crew allegedly tried to breach the naval blockade of Iran.
US forces disabled a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, US Central Command said.
The St. Kitts-flagged vessel, the M/V Huda, was hit by precision munitions fired from a US military aircraft that targeted its stern, leaving it disabled, the command said.
CENTCOM said the crew had been told to abandon the targeted areas before the strike, after the ship tried to leave regional waters following a port call in Iran.
"U.S. forces continue to strictly enforce America's naval blockade against Iran," the command said.
CENTCOM said enforcement operations since July had led 147 commercial vessels to be redirected after they complied with orders.
The command also said five merchant ships that refused to comply have been disabled.
CENTCOM further said US forces had destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers that it alleged are linked to a multibillion-dollar shadow network run by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The command urged mariners operating near Iranian coastal areas and surrounding waters to heed warnings issued by US forces.
The statement did not give details about the condition of the Huda's crew or the extent of the damage to the vessel.
The Gulf of Oman is a key shipping route linking the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes.
The report relies on the US military's account, and no independent confirmation of the strike or the crew's actions was included in the statement.
