Washington, May 8 (SANA) The US military announced on Friday that it targeted two Iranian-flagged oil tankers by opening fire on them as they attempted to reach an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, describing the move as a response to a violation of an ongoing US blockade.
In a statement posted on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft disabled the tankers “M/T Sea Star III” and “M/T Sevda” by striking their smokestacks with precision munitions, preventing them from reaching Iranian shores.
CENTCOM added that a similar aircraft on Wednesday disabled another Iranian-flagged vessel, the oil tanker “M/T Hasna,” by targeting its rudder with a 20 mm cannon gun.
On April 19, the Iranian-flagged vessel “M/V Touska” attempted to breach the blockade and ignored multiple warnings from a US destroyer, according to CENTCOM, which said the ship’s engine room was ordered evacuated before it was struck by several 5-inch naval shells, rendering it inoperable.
Those developments come after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on Feb. 28, while the United States announced a blockade on Iranian ports after a round of peace talks in Pakistan failed to achieve progress last month.
M.Q.R
