The U.S. military on Tuesday struck and incapacitated an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman for violating the U.S. Navy blockade by “attempting to transport oil from Iran.”
A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions at the engine room of the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello after the vessel refused to adhere to warnings from military forces, U.S. Central Command said.
The action marks the second U.S. strike this week against non-compliant vessels in the area.
On Monday, a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln fired precision munitions at the Palau-flagged M/T Marivex in the Gulf of Oman.
The vessel was attempting to sail to an Iranian port in violation of the U.S. Navy blockade, CENTCOM said, and military forces disabled the ship by launching a strike against its engineering and steering spaces.
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U.S. military forces also launched self-defense strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said Iranian military forces were responsible for the downing of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter on Monday near the coast of Oman.
Both crew members aboard the helicopter were safely rescued by a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel the same evening.
U.S. Central Command has disabled eight non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 compliant ships and allowed 42 vessels since the U.S. Navy blockade began on April 13.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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