U.S. says it disabled cargo ship accused of evading Iran blockade

U.S. forces disabled a Panama-flagged commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its crew ignored repeated warnings and tried to evade a U.S. naval blockade against Iran, U.S. Central Command said.

CENTCOM said a U.S. military fighter jet used a precision munition to strike the stern of the M/V Ocean Molica on Saturday, Oct. 10. The vessel, also identified as the Arika Sun, had previously departed an Iranian port and was attempting to transit regional waters, according to the command.

The strike fully disabled the ship's propulsion and did not harm the crew, CENTCOM said. The account was not independently confirmed in the source reports.

What Happened

The U.S. military said the vessel ignored repeated warnings before the strike. CENTCOM characterized the action as enforcement of a blockade covering ships entering or departing Iranian ports.

The Hill described the operation as involving a U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, while Al Jazeera reported that CENTCOM's stated policy applies to vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports. The reports differ in how they describe the geographic scope of the U.S. operation.

Al Jazeera's reporting said the vessel was disabled, while a separate Al Jazeera video headline described the ship as having been bombed. CENTCOM's statement, as reported by both outlets, said the munition struck the stern and disabled propulsion.

Background

CENTCOM said it resumed its blockade of vessels entering or departing Iranian ports on July 14. During three months of what it called strict enforcement, the command said it had disabled four commercial vessels and turned back 135 ships.

The command also said U.S. forces destroyed 10 tankers linked to what it described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' multibillion-dollar shadow network. Those figures were provided by CENTCOM and were not independently verified in the reports.

The Gulf of Oman lies near the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping passage. Al Jazeera reported that about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait before the war began.

What Each Side Is Saying

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately said it struck the LPG carrier NV Sunshine, owned by NatWit, in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said the vessel was using what it called an illegal route south of the strait and claimed Iranian forces had taken control of the administration of the waterway.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that an outbound tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had been hit on its port side by an unknown projectile and caught fire. It said crew members were reported safe, while the extent of damage and any environmental impact remained unknown.

It was not clear from the available reports whether the tanker cited by UKMTO was the NV Sunshine named by Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Why It Matters

The incidents underscore the risk to commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, the sole maritime route into and out of the oil-rich Gulf region. Al Jazeera reported that vessels attempting to cross the strait have faced repeated attacks since the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran in late February.

UKMTO also reported on Oct. 8 that a vessel about 94 kilometers north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, was struck by multiple projectiles, causing casualties. The agency did not identify the vessel's origin or specify the number of people killed or injured.

What Happens Next

CENTCOM did not provide further details on the condition, destination or cargo of the Ocean Molica, or say what would happen to the disabled vessel. UKMTO said authorities were investigating the tanker incident in the Strait of Hormuz.