Illustrative image. (U.S. Central Command)
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on May 8 that its forces disabled the tankers Sea Star III and Sevda, prior to both vessels entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.
In a statement, the command said that it “enforced blockade measures” against the two tankers, which were unladen with oil.
“A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran,” it added.
Two days earlier, CENTCOM forces disabled Iranian-flagged Hasna as it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) disabled the unladen oil tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun.
All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran, according to the command, which noted that multiple commercial vessels have been disabled and more than 50 have been redirected by its forces since the start of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
“U.S. forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work.”
Iranian media reported fresh “sporadic clashes” with U.S. naval forces close to the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the day, without elaborating.
Following CENTCOM’s announcement, an Iranian military source told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency that the clashes stopped for now, but warned they could resume if American forces “enter the Persian Gulf again” or interfere with Iranian vessels.
The source described recent U.S. attacks on Iranian tankers as a violation of the ceasefire, saying any further attack would receive Iran’s “crushing response.”
Overnight, Iran attacked three U.S. warships near the Strait of Hormuz, in what was described by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy as a “very large-scale and precise combined operation.” CENTCOM said that none of the warships was struck. Later in the day, Iranian strikes hit the United Arab Emirates.
It’s worth noting that the escalation began after President Donald Trump announced on May 6 that the U.S. will be pausing the operation it launched earlier in the week to assist vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to progress made in talks toward a permanent ceasefire with Iran.
The strategic waterway — a choke point for around 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas — has been very much under Iranian control since the start of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic.
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american cowards!
then that must make iran cowards as well since they targeted cargo ships. i hate the double standard here.