U.S. fighter jet disables Panama-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman after crew ignores warnings and attempts to breach Iran blockade

U.S. Central Command said its forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after its crew ignored repeated warnings and tried to evade the naval blockade against Iran. The ship had departed an Iranian port and was attempting to transit regional waters, CENTCOM said.

A U.S. fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged vessel, identified as the M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun. The strike disabled its propulsion, but did not harm the crew, according to CENTCOM.

CENTCOM said that in the three months since enforcement of the blockade resumed on July 14, U.S. forces had disabled four commercial vessels and turned back 135 ships.