The US said it carried out a strike on a vessel attempting to break Iran’s blockade

In a statement by the U.S. Central Command (Centcom), it said that on Tuesday its MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova vessel, under a Panamanian flag, as it attempted to pass through the Gulf of Oman.

According to U.S. servicemembers, they took this step after the vessel’s civilian crew “ignored repeated warnings from U.S. forces.”

M/V Vela was trying to head to an Iranian port, Centcom said in a statement on social media platform X, without specifying which one. It also was not reported whether there were any fatalities or injuries.

Iran has not commented on these statements so far.

The United States continues the blockade of Iranian ports after unsuccessful attempts to end the war that the United States and Israel began in late February.