The United States on early Thursday (local time Wednesday) disabled an oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port, marking the first commercial vessel targeted since Washington reimposed its naval blockade against Iran as part of its escalating campaign over the Strait of Hormuz.US Central Command (Centcom) said the Curacao-flagged oil tanker M/T Belma, which was not carrying cargo, ignored repeated warnings while sailing toward Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Arabian Gulf.“US Central Command (Centcom) forces observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island,” Centcom said in a statement on X.“The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the US blockade. A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.”The blockade resumed at 4 pm ET on July 14, with US forces preventing vessels from travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.
First vessel disabled under renewed blockade
Centcom said the action against the Belma came during the first 24 hours of enforcement after the blockade was reinstated.According to the US military, two other commercial ships complied with instructions and altered course, while the Belma was disabled after refusing to turn away.“During the first 24 hours of enforcement, Centcom has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel,” the command said.“US forces remain vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance.”This was the first vessel disabled since the naval blockade was reimposed, after Washington resumed the restrictions following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire with Iran.During the previous blockade, which lasted nearly two months before being lifted in mid-June under a temporary US-Iran memorandum of understanding, Centcom said it had redirected 142 commercial vessels and disabled nine non-compliant ships.
Blockade follows fresh US strikes on Iran
The action against the tanker came as US forces continued strikes against Iranian military targets linked to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.Earlier, Centcom said American forces had launched another round of strikes aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels transiting through the strategic waterway.“At 3 pm ET today, US Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran,” Centcom said in a post on X.“The new strikes focused on Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz,” it added, saying the US military was “holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”Explosions were later reported in several parts of southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz and Chabahar, while Iranian state media said a projectile landed near Shahid Baghaei Hospital in Ahvaz, damaging nearby homes and forcing the temporary evacuation of patients, reported CNN.
Strait of Hormuz remains flashpoint
The renewed blockade forms part of Washington’s effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes, after Iran sought to restrict maritime traffic following the outbreak of the conflict.Around one-fifth of global oil and natural gas trade normally passes through the waterway.The US initially imposed the blockade in April before lifting it last month after signing an interim agreement with Tehran that paused hostilities and opened a 60-day window for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security.Those talks have since stalled as fighting intensified around the Strait of Hormuz.The US had already disabled at least eight merchant vessels during the first phase of the blockade, including one strike that killed three sailors.
Iran threatens wider energy disruption
Iran has condemned the renewed blockade, warning it could expand the conflict by disrupting energy exports across the region.Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Washington was attempting to undermine what he described as “Iranian arrangements” governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.In a separate statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that “the export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one.”
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