The United States Central Command said American forces intercepted and disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel allegedly attempted to head toward an Iranian port in violation of the US blockade.
According to CENTCOM, the incident took place at around 9 am Eastern Time on May 6. The tanker, identified as the M/T Hasna, was reportedly traveling without cargo when it was spotted moving through international waters toward Iran. The vessel was ultimately disabled after a US Navy fighter jet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired on it.
Tensions in the region have remained high since the outbreak of conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran earlier this year. Following the collapse of initial negotiations between Washington and Tehran, Donald Trump announced that American forces would enforce a naval blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to restrict movement to and from Iranian ports.
CENTCOM said the tanker ignored repeated warnings from US forces before action was taken. Officials stated that American personnel informed the crew the vessel was violating the blockade, but the tanker allegedly failed to comply despite multiple alerts.
The US military said the ship’s rudder was disabled after a Navy F/A 18 Super Hornet used its 20-millimeter cannon to fire several rounds at the vessel. CENTCOM added that the tanker was no longer heading toward Iran and stressed that the blockade remains fully active against ships attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports.
The incident comes amid continued instability surrounding Trump’s recently announced “Project Freedom,” an operation intended to help neutral commercial vessels navigate safely through the Strait of Hormuz during the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The operation quickly escalated tensions after Iran reportedly launched drone and missile attacks on several ships, while exchanges of fire between US and Iranian forces resumed. Iranian strikes also targeted locations in the United Arab Emirates, further straining the ceasefire.
Following the escalation, Trump announced a temporary halt to Project Freedom, saying the move came after requests from Pakistan and several other nations seeking to avoid further conflict in the region.
