U.S. Forces Disable Cargo Ship Huda in Gulf of Oman After It Tries to Break Iran Blockade
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on November 7 that U.S. forces disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman that day after the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to violate the naval blockade against Iran multiple times. The vessel, the St. Kitts-flagged bulk carrier M/V Huda, had visited an Iranian port and tried to depart regional waters.
A U.S. military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the Huda, disabling the ship, after CENTCOM forces directed the crew to abandon the targeted spaces, the command said. CENTCOM's statement gave no account of casualties. It was the first confirmed U.S. disabling of a blockade-running cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman in nearly a month.
CENTCOM also released cumulative enforcement figures: since July, U.S. forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied and disabled five merchant ships that refused to comply, and had previously destroyed another 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers that were part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' shadow network. CENTCOM said it continues to strictly enforce America's naval blockade against Iran and advised mariners near Iranian coastal areas to heed blockade warnings.
Reuters reported that the U.S. military estimates the blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency recorded the incident about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates.
Related: Update: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy Says Three Tankers Caught Fire in the Strait of Hormuz
(Source: U.S. Central Command)
Source: U.S. Central Command
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国海军航母打击群在阿曼湾编队航行（资料图），美国海军官方照片、公共领域。 / U.S. Navy carrier strike groups sail in formation in the Gulf of Oman (file photo), U.S. Navy, public domain.
