US fired on Panama-flagged ship that tried to break blockade of Iranian ports: WSJ
Maritime security officials said the strike caused a fire and forced the crew to abandon ship as the U.S. blockade has rerouted 51 vessels, Central Command said.
- On Tuesday, American forces fired a missile from a helicopter at the Panama-flagged Vela Nova, striking the container ship's rudder while it transited the Gulf of Oman roughly 71 nautical miles off Pakistan's coast.
- The incident occurred amid an active United States naval blockade of Iranian ports, in place since February 28, which has redirected at least 51 commercial vessels attempting to reach Tehran.
- British maritime risk management group Vanguard identified the 30-year-old vessel and confirmed the crew abandoned the ship after a fire sparked by the strike, which was subsequently extinguished.
- Automated tracking data from Pole Star Global showed the Vela Nova listed as "not under command" at the strike location, while no casualties were reported and the crew was transferred to another vessel.
- Following a late June incident where an Iranian drone struck the Panama-flagged oil tanker Kiku carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil, United States Central Command launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian military infrastructure.
172 Articles
172 Articles
The U.S. opened fire on a Panamanian-flagged freighter attempting to break the blockade on Iranian ports, while Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked another ship in the Red Sea and left at least six dead. Both incidents occur in a context of increasing maritime tension in the region. Missiles against the Nova Sailing The U.S. Army reported Tuesday that a helicopter fired two missiles at the engine room of the freighter Vela Nova after its crew ignored…
This is the third time that the United States has forcibly stopped a ship since it reinstated the blockade to Iranian ports.
CENTCOM Says an MH-60 Helicopter Put Two Hellfire Missiles Into a Blockade-Runner’s Steering Gear in the Gulf of Oman
Weeks ago, the United States proclaimed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as the world awaits negotiations on the waterway’s future. However, before dawn on Tuesday, U.S. forces fired on a ship seeking to run the blockade. The Wall Street Journal reported that an American military helicopter had fired on the ship, which flew the flag of Panama, after its crew “ignored warnings from American personnel working to enforce the naval blockade of Ir…
Iran’s export lifeline runs dry as US defends blockade
US forces fired missiles at a ship attempting to run its blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday, according to US Central Command. The embargo is the sharpest edge of a campaign (that also includes sweeping sanctions) to starve Tehran of oil revenue and undermine its economy, with the cost borne largely by ordinary Iranians.The US squeeze is most obvious at Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude export terminal, which has recorded no departures since July…
US Forces Disable Iran-Bound Ship With Hellfire Missiles
Middle East tensions escalated Wednesday as U.S. forces used Hellfire missiles to disable a commercial vessel attempting to breach the American naval blockade against Iran, while the death toll from an Iran-backed Houthi attack on a ship in the Red Sea rose to six. U.S. Central Command said on Aug. 12 that its forces disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged Vela Nova as the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman and sail towa…
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