US Central Command said on Monday that a US F/A-18 fighter jet fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Iran as the US continues enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports by attacking civilian ships.
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled Palau-flagged M/T Marivex as it transited international waters in the Gulf of Oman toward Iran,” the command said.
“F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the ship’s engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from US forces. Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran,” CENTCOM added.
According to CENTCOM’s numbers, its forces have fired on and disabled seven civilian commercial vessels since it began enforcing the blockade in April.
Iran is expected to respond in some way since it has escalated its retaliation for US and Israeli attacks in the region over the past week. CENTCOM’s statement came after President Trump called for Israel and Iran to “stop the shooting” after the two countries exchanged strikes, an escalation that started with Israel bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs.
In a separate statement, Trump claimed that Israel and Iran sought a ceasefire while vowing that the US blockade of Iran would continue. Iranian officials have been clear that they view both the Israeli war in Lebanon and the US blockade as violations of the ceasefire that was reached in April.
