ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US forces have disabled another oil tanker off the Omani coast near the Strait of Hormuz after it attempted to bypass Washington’s ongoing naval blockade on Iranian ports, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Thursday.
The Command detailed that it “acted against the Guinea Bissau-flagged [motor tanker] M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman,” adding that “a U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces.”
It further noted that earlier this week, “U.S. aircraft disabled Palau-flagged vessels M/T Marivex and M/T Settebello on Monday and Tuesday, respectively,” as the first had “violated the blockade by attempting to sail to an Iranian port” and the second “attempted to transport Iranian oil.”
The incident comes amid heightened military escalation between the US and Iran over the past three days, the most significant since a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire in early April brought a temporary halt to the six-week war between the two sides.
CENTCOM on Thursday said its forces had "completed additional self-defense strikes against multiple targets in Iran” on US President Donald Trump’s orders, adding that the operation targeted "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran."
Trump later in the day stated that “the United States will be hitting Iran… VERY HARD TONIGHT,” further adding that “at some point in the not-too-distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure sites, and assume total control of their oil and gas markets.”
Located off of Iran’s southern Bushehr province in the northwestern Persian Gulf, Kharg is considered a strategic energy hub, as Iranian oil transported via pipelines from across the country is loaded onto outbound tankers at its terminals.
For its part, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that “twelve ballistic missiles were launched this morning targeting the deployment sites” of American fighter jets, as well as “vital facilities” of the US army located at the al-Azraq Air Base and Control Center in Jordan, “destroying those facilities and a large number of fighter jets.”
Thursday’s military exchange followed two days of escalating tensions that began on Tuesday and were seemingly triggered by what the US said was Iran’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and Israel in late February launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, striking thousands of targets across the country over six weeks of hostilities, before the warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, halting fighting to allow space for talks.
While the first round of talks concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place, with a comprehensive resolution to the conflict still pending.
Alongside the diplomatic efforts, Tehran and Washington engaged in reciprocal maritime measures. Iran tightened its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports beginning April 13.
In its Thursday statement, CENTCOM detailed that its forces “have disabled nine non-compliant vessels, redirected 135 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass” since the blockade’s initiation.
The embargo “is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” the Command added.
