US Disables 6th Iran-Bound Tanker With Missile as Hormuz Blockade Tightens
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Jun 2
US Disables 6th Iran-Bound Tanker With Missile as Hormuz Blockade Tightens
3 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Jun 2
A US aircraft fired a missile into the engine room of an empty Botswana-flagged tanker Tuesday, stopping it in the Persian Gulf before it could reach Iran’s Kharg Island.
CENTCOM said the crew ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours, prompting the strike under the US blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz that began on April 13.
The tanker was the sixth commercial vessel disabled since the blockade took effect; on Friday, US forces similarly stopped a Gambia-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman after more than 20 warnings.
The interdiction comes as CENTCOM broadens pressure on Iran, saying it struck radar and drone command sites on Monday after Tehran downed a US drone over international waters.