U.S. Fighter Jet Disables Cargo Ship Accused of Breaching Iran Blockade

U.S. forces disabled a Panama-flagged commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach the American naval blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

U.S. Central Command said a fighter jet struck the Panama-flagged Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its propulsion system without injuring the crew. [Screenshot: CENTCOM]

According to CENTCOM, a U.S. military fighter jet struck the stern of the M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, with a precision munition.

The strike disabled the vessel’s propulsion system but did not injure its crew, the command said. CENTCOM said the ship had previously departed an Iranian port and was attempting to transit regional waters when it was intercepted.

The U.S. military said it resumed its blockade of ships entering or departing Iranian ports on July 14.

Over the following three months, CENTCOM reported disabling four commercial vessels and turning back 135 ships. It also said U.S. forces had destroyed 10 tankers linked to what it described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ shadow network.

The claims about the enforcement campaign were made by the U.S. military.

Independent confirmation of every incident and its circumstances was not provided in the initial report.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said it had received a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman and that authorities were investigating.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed that it had struck a vessel attempting to use what it described as an illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian statement referred to a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier named NV Sunshine, which it said was owned by NatWit.

It was not immediately clear whether the Iranian statement referred to a separate incident or how it related to the U.S. military’s account of the Ocean Molica. The vessel names and circumstances should therefore be treated separately unless further reporting establishes a connection.

The incidents occurred amid heightened tensions over maritime access to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for international energy shipments.

Disruptions to shipping in the region have raised concerns about fuel supplies and global energy prices.