US Central Command/Screengrab via X
- A US Navy fighter jet hit the smokestacks of two Iranian tankers on Friday, disabling both ships.
- The tankers were sailing in violation of the blockade of Iran’s ports, the US military said.
- It’s the latest example of the US using strikes to enforce the blockade.
A US Navy fighter jet fired on the smokestacks of two Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, disabling both of the blockade-running vessels, the American military said.
The Navy has used force multiple times to disable Iranian commercial vessels since the US began a maritime blockade of Iran’s ports last month.
US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said that M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda were sailing into an Iranian port on Friday in violation of the blockade.
CENTCOM said that an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet launched from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and fired precision munitions into the smokestacks of the unladen tankers to disable the large ships, which the military described as “non-compliant.”
It’s unclear what warnings the oil tankers received prior to the engagement. It’s also unclear what munitions the Super Hornet fired to disable them. CENTCOM declined to provide additional details on the incident.
Super Hornet fighter jets can carry a mix of different armaments on the weapon hardpoints along the wings, including precision glide bombs and anti-ship missiles. These aircraft are also equipped with an internal 20 mm M61A2 six-barrel rotary cannon.
Friday’s incident comes two days after a Super Hornet launched from aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and fired several rounds from its 20 mm cannon into the rudder of M/T Hasna, disabling that Iranian-flagged oil tanker as well. The Hasna, like the Sea Star III and Sevda, was also sailing in the Gulf of Oman en route to an Iranian port.
“All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran,” CENTCOM said on Friday.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Emily Guillory
In mid-April, the Trump administration announced a naval blockade of maritime traffic entering and exiting Iran’s ports to put pressure on its economy, which is dependent on oil exports.
More than 20 US warships and 200 aircraft, including those based on the two aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East, are involved in the blockade, which has turned around dozens of commercial vessels since it began.
In late April, Navy destroyer USS Spruance fired nine inert rounds from its 5-inch deck gun into the engine room of an Iranian-flagged vessel trying to run the blockade, marking a rare use of force by the US against a non-combat ship.
The strikes disabled the M/V Touska, which was then boarded by US Marines.
“US forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, in a statement on Friday. “Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work.”
The naval blockade is one of several ongoing US military activities around Iran since the ceasefire started in early April and Operation Epic Fury, the large-scale American bombing campaign against the country, concluded.
The US has also launched missions to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz and to provide a defensive umbrella for commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway with warships and aircraft.
On Thursday, US forces thwarted an Iranian attack on three Navy destroyers in the Strait involving missiles, drones, and small boats.
CENTCOM said that it targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for the attacks, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control facilities, and surveillance infrastructure. The exchange of fire threatens the fragile ceasefire.
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