US forces fire Hellfire missiles at Panama-flagged vessel in Gulf of Oman

TAMPA, Aug 11: US forces on Tuesday fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama-flagged commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings and continued sailing toward an Iranian port, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

CENTCOM said its forces disabled the steering gear of the M/V Vela Nova after the cargo vessel attempted to transit toward Iran in violation of a US blockade.

According to CENTCOM, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the vessel’s engine room after the civilian crew failed to comply with warnings from American forces.

“The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” CENTCOM said, adding that the US blockade against Iran remains in effect.

CENTCOM said US forces have so far redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled three non-compliant vessels and boarded two vessels attempting to circumvent the blockade as of August 11.

The incident marks a significant escalation in US enforcement of maritime restrictions on commercial shipping heading toward Iranian ports and comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf of Oman and surrounding waters.