ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A US fighter jet disabled a commercial vessel attempting to breach Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports without harming the crew, said the US Central Command (CENCTOM) on Sunday, as Iran has simultaneously escalated attacks on ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said American forces have disabled four commercial vessels since July 28, when the US resumed enforcement of its blockade on Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf. It also said 10 tankers had been destroyed and 135 vessels forced to turn around as of October 11.
“A U.S. military fighter jet struck the stern of Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, with a precision munition, fully disabling the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X. “The large cargo vessel was attempting to transit regional waters after having previously departed an Iranian port.”
The strike came hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said a supertanker had struck a sea mine while trying to exit the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian authorisation. Footage published by IRGC-affiliated media shows a tanker engulfed in flames.
“Over the past two weeks, Iran has targeted more than 20 oil tankers or warned them off from passing through,” IRGC affiliated Fars News claimed.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday that it had received a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman. The agency did not identify the vessel or provide details of the encounter, but said authorities were aware and investigations were ongoing, urging ships in the area to remain alert.
The competing US and Iranian enforcement measures have turned the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman into an increasingly dangerous maritime corridor, with commercial vessels facing pressure from both sides over which routes they use and which ports they serve. The strait remains one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
The escalation also comes as the US midterm elections approach, with Iran policy becoming an increasingly sensitive political issue in Washington.
President Donald Trump has sent contradictory messages over whether another major US strike on Iran is imminent. On Thursday, he said the US would not attack Iran before the November midterm elections, but a day later he told Rudaw that Washington “may” act sooner. US media have meanwhile reported that the Pentagon has drawn up options for a new campaign, including three days of intensive strikes on Iranian missile, drone and military infrastructure.
Tensions have also risen elsewhere in the region as Saudi Arabia becomes increasingly drawn into confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
At least 12 people, including an American, were killed and more than 300 wounded on Saturday when the Houthis struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to Saudi authorities. The attack was the deadliest on the kingdom in more than a decade.
