US disable ship in Gulf of Oman as it tries to bypass Iran blockade

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Newsdesk20 hours ago

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US military forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after the crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade against Iran, according to US Central Command. A fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica with a precision munition, fully disabling the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew. The vessel had previously departed an Iranian port and tried to move through regional waters despite the restrictions.

CENTCOM stated that its forces resumed their blockade against all ships entering or departing Iranian ports on July 14. During three months of strict enforcement, US forces disabled four commercial vessels and turned around 135 ships. The command also reported destroying 10 tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' multibillion-dollar shadow network over the same period.

Tehran responded with its own actions in the nearby Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s IRGC said it struck a vessel for attempting to take an illegal route and claimed Iranian forces have taken control of the administration of the strait. The military stated it targeted a giant LPG carrier named NV Sunshine, owned by NatWit, which was trying to pass south of the strait.

Independent maritime monitors confirmed separate incidents in the waterway. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that an outbound tanker was hit on the port side by an unknown projectile on Sunday, starting a fire that left the crew safe but caused unknown damage. On Thursday, UKMTO reported a different vessel was struck by multiple projectiles while sailing 94km (58 miles) north of Madinat ash Shamal off the north coast of Qatar, resulting in casualties. Investigators are examining both attacks.

Shipping traffic in the Gulf has faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel began military operations against Iran in late February. The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global chokepoint, with about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passing through the passage before the conflict started.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, October 6, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL. NO ACCESS FOR ISRAELI MEDIA. NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE IRAN INTERNATIONAL. NO USE RADIO FARDA. DIGITAL: NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE IRAN INTERNATIONAL. NO USE RADIO FARDA. — Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, October 6, 2026 [Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via WANA/Reuters]