Middle East live: US military strikes ship violating its blockade of Iranian ports
The US military announced on Tuesday that it had shot a Panama-flagged ship that was trying to approach an Iranian port in violation of Washington's blockade. President Donald Trump again asserted that the United States was exercising "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Hormuz Closure Chaos$HCC
A US helicopter fired missiles on Tuesday into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran's ports, the United States military said.The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova "after the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that the vessel "is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade."
It was the third time the United States, in a months-long war against Iran, has forcibly halted a vessel since reinstating the ports blockade on July 14. CENTCOM said it has redirected 55 ships that tried to run the blockade and boarded two others as of Tuesday.US forces previously blockaded Iranian ports from April 13 to June 18, during which they disabled nine ships and redirected more than 140, according to CENTCOM.