US Navy warplane disables Iranian-flagged oil tanker at Hormuz blockade
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 6
US Navy warplane disables Iranian-flagged oil tanker at Hormuz blockade
17 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 6
The vessel was the M/T Hasna, hit in the rudder by USS Abraham Lincoln-based F/A-18 cannon fire on Wednesday near the Gulf of Oman after ignoring warnings.
The tanker was reportedly empty and no longer heading to Iran, as US forces enforced a blockade on shipping to and from Iranian ports after Tehran effectively closed the strait.
About 50,000 US troops remain on standby in the region amid mixed signals from Washington, with officials variously saying Operation Epic Fury and escort efforts were over or paused.
With global oil markets in chaos, what is the ultimate endgame for the US naval blockade against Iran?
As US and Iranian forces trade fire in the Gulf, what single event could ignite an all-out regional war?
May 6, 2026: U.S. Forces Disable Iranian Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman, Escalating Regional Conflict
Overview
On May 6, 2026, a U.S. F/A-18 disabled the Iranian tanker M/T Hasna after it ignored blockade warnings, following a similar April 19 interdiction of the Iranian cargo ship Touska. The U.S. naval blockade, enforced since April 13, had already redirected 52 commercial vessels and caused tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to collapse by 90%. These actions, combined with Iran blocking nearly all non-Iranian Gulf shipping, have driven global oil prices up by about 50%, pushing U.S. petrol prices to $4.44 per gallon. Iran condemned these seizures as piracy, while the blockade challenges freedom of navigation and deepens Iran's economic hardship, heightening regional tensions and risks of escalation.