US military disables ship attempting to bypass Strait of Hormuz blockade

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Saturday said its forces disabled a ship that attempted to bypass the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Centcom released a statement saying that the commercial cargo vessel “ignored repeated warnings” before forces disabled it in the Gulf of Oman.

“A U.S. military fighter jet struck the stern of Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica (also known as the ‘Arika Sun’) with a precision munition, fully disabling the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew,” Centcom stated. “The large cargo vessel was attempting to transit regional waters after having previously departed an Iranian port.”

Centcom attached video of the strike that hit the stern of the ship.

Four shipping vessels have been disabled and 135 ships have been turned around since the blockade resumed on July 14, according to Centcom. U.S. forces have also destroyed 10 tankers “linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ multibillion-dollar shadow network over the same period.”

“All mariners are advised to heed blockade warnings from Centcom forces,” the statement added.

In a separate incident on Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy’s press office said a supertanker struck a mine while passing through the strait, the state-run Fars News Agency reported.

Iranian officials warned the U.S. that if the conflict continues, “not even one drop of oil will be exported” out of the strait or elsewhere in the Persian Gulf, according to the state media.

“A massive fire awaits any violating oil tanker that seeks to disregard the security and regulations of the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC warned.

The conflict between the U.S. and Iran has stretched into its eighth month, with President Trump weighing his options for resuming strikes. Trump said Thursday that discussions with Iran have been “productive” and, after days of speculation, that he will not attack the regime before the November midterm elections.

A White House official previously told The Hill earlier on Thursday that the U.S. “is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing.”

Both countries have quarreled over control of the strait, where roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil is exported. Iran effectively shut it down in the days after the conflict began on Feb. 28, lifting the closure temporarily after talks toward peace appeared to resume.

The national average for regular gas in the U.S. hit $4.36 per gallon on Sunday morning, according to AAA.

The Iranian regime is facing economic strains as the Trump administration has continued its economic pressure campaign and naval blockade in the Arabian Sea. But the Iranian military has continued striking commercial tankers attempting to transit the strait.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is sailing toward the Middle East to relieve the USS George Washington.