WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (TodayViralUSA) — U.S. forces fired on and disabled a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after its crew repeatedly tried to slip through the American naval blockade of Iran, the military said, the first such strike on a merchant vessel in about a month.
U.S. Central Command said a military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings. Forces first directed the crew to leave the targeted areas of the vessel, which was attempting to depart regional waters after calling at an Iranian port. CENTCOM did not report any casualties.
A Turkish-managed bulk carrier
The Huda is a 159-meter bulk carrier built in 1999 and operated under Turkish management, according to The Maritime Executive, which noted the ship does not appear to be under sanctions. Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, saying the condition of the crew and the extent of the damage were not yet known.
CENTCOM said enforcement since July has led U.S. forces to redirect 147 commercial vessels that complied with orders and to disable five merchant ships that refused. It said it had earlier destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers it described as part of the Revolutionary Guard’s shadow shipping network, and warned all mariners near Iranian waters to heed blockade instructions.
Tensions rise on several fronts
The strike came a day after U.S. aircraft hit an air-defense site on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, an action President Donald Trump described as “minor.” Also on Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had lifted a self-imposed 2,000-kilometer (1,200-mile) cap on the range of its ballistic missiles, the Associated Press reported, a signal that Tehran may pursue weapons able to reach more distant targets.
Shipping in the region has come under mounting pressure. UKMTO has logged six confirmed attacks in the first days of November alone, according to The Maritime Executive, while Iran has issued near-daily claims of vessels striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Axios, citing a U.S. official, has reported that CENTCOM is preparing for a possible resumption of major military operations against Iran and is awaiting orders from Washington. Tehran has warned it would retaliate on a wider scale if full-scale fighting resumes.
Sources & Credits
- U.S. Central Command: U.S. Forces Disable Cargo Vessel Attempting to Violate Naval Blockade
- The Maritime Executive: US Forces Disable First Cargo Ship in a Month Sailing from Iranian Port
- The Times of Israel: US military says strike disabled ship trying to run blockade on Iran
- Associated Press: Iran says it has lifted its self-imposed limit on missile ranges
- Al Jazeera: Will Trump strike nuclear sites again as Iran engages ‘cognitive warfare’?
Image: USS Sentry transits the Gulf of Oman, U.S. Navy photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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