The US military said on Saturday that its forces had “disabled” a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its civilian crew “ignored repeated warnings” and made a number of attempts to “violate” the naval blockade of Iran.
“A U.S. military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the ship after CENTCOM forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces. The cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, adding that it was continuing to “strictly enforce” the blockade against Iran.
According to the military command, since July, US forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied with the blockade, while disabling five merchant ships that refused.
“Additionally, CENTCOM has previously destroyed another 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers that were part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ multibillion-dollar shadow network,” it added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said late on Saturday that it had received a report of an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces in the Gulf of Oman, around 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE National Guard announced early on Sunday that 22 people had been rescued from a cargo ship in the gulf.
IRGC: Two tankers strike mines around Strait of Hormuz
At the same time, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) navy claimed in a statement that two oil tankers, one to the east of the Strait of Hormuz and the other sailing in the strategic waterway, had caught fire after hitting mines.
The Guards said they had been using an “unauthorised” route.
“These two tankers, through multiple violations and by switching off their navigation and positioning systems, intended to transit the Strait of Hormuz via an unauthorised route. After hitting a mine, they exploded and are burning,” the IRGC navy said in a statement.
The Guards also accused CENTCOM’s commander of “fantasy” and warned that any ship or vessel that cooperates with the US military, “disobeys Iranian regulations for the Strait of Hormuz and enters the unauthorised area, will inevitably hit a mine.”
Tensions between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz have flared once again in recent days following the end of the US midterm elections.
On Friday night, reports emerged of explosions on Qeshm Island, and the Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck the area.
A few hours later, US President Donald Trump confirmed that US forces had targeted an Iranian air defence system.
Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday night that further explosions had been heard in Qeshm, Sirik, Jask and Bandar Abbas.