The United States military says it fired on the Panama-flagged Vela Nova cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after alleging that the ship tried to breach the US blockade of Iranian ports. US Central Command said a Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the vessel’s engine room, disabling its steering gear.
CENTCOM said the crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces. The command did not say whether anyone aboard was wounded.
What CENTCOM said happened
CENTCOM said the Vela Nova was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port when it was targeted. The command said the strike disabled the ship’s steering gear, but did not provide further details about the vessel’s condition or its crew.
In the same statement, CENTCOM said US forces had disabled 55 commercial vessels during the blockade, along with three “non-compliant vessels”, and had boarded two others.
Related coverage: Why the Strait of Hormuz talks are becoming harder to resolve.
Why the blockade has returned
The US reimposed its naval blockade of Iranian ports amid a renewed period of fighting. Iran has also reasserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, after both measures had been lifted under a June memorandum of understanding intended to restart negotiations.
The MoU followed a 13-day escalation in July and a subsequent ceasefire. The latest attacks have mostly paused, but efforts to revive the agreement have made little progress.
Wider pressure on regional shipping
The shipping dispute extends beyond the Gulf of Oman. Attacks by Yemen-based Houthis on vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait have added pressure to another major regional trade route.
More context: UK and France remain cautious on Strait of Hormuz coalition.
Iran has focused diplomatic efforts on direct talks with Oman about new shipping lines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, said the strait would not reopen until the United States changed its behaviour and accepted Iran’s conditions. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks described as part of wider mediation efforts.
Also read: Mohsen Rezaei takes Iran’s top security post amid Hormuz talks.
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