US Military Aircraft Disables St Kitts Flagged Cargo Vessel in Gulf of Oman

An American military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged cargo vessel M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman, disabling the ship after its civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach the United States naval blockade of Iran.

United States Central Command stated that the ship had called at an Iranian port and was trying to leave regional waters when intercepted. The military operation follows a months-long naval blockade that Central Command estimated has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil. Alongside these maritime enforcement actions, the United States military announced the launch of a new task force aimed at cracking down on Tehran's movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned materials across land borders and through the Caspian Sea. President Donald Trump stated that the military had carried out new limited strikes against an Iranian air defense system, describing the action as minor.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz and in the port of Jask. The Iranian military stated that two oil tankers had hit mines in the Hormuz area and caught fire, though those reports lacked matching confirmation from United States Central Command.