US military strikes cargo ship in Gulf of Oman over Iran blockade

A US fighter jet has struck and disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after the ship tried to run a naval blockade on Iran, the US military confirmed on Saturday.

US Central Command said an aircraft launched a precision munition into the stern of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier M/V Ocean Molica, which also operates under the name Arika Sun. The strike knocked out the ship’s propulsion system, leaving it dead in the water, but caused no casualties among the crew.

According to the military, the vessel was targeted after it sailed out of an Iranian port and attempted to transit regional waters, ignoring warnings from American forces enforcing restrictions on maritime traffic.

Enforcing the blockade

Washington has been imposing a naval blockade on commercial ships entering and departing Iranian ports and coastal waters. Commercial traffic that complies with radio warnings and instructions is being redirected, while forces have used direct action against vessels that refuse orders to turn away.

Following the strike, military officials advised mariners operating across the Gulf of Oman and near the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz to monitor notice-to-mariners broadcasts and maintain contact with naval authorities.

Centcom said the operation brings the total number of commercial vessels disabled during three months of blockade enforcement to four. A further 135 ships have been turned back over the same period. American forces have also destroyed 10 tankers that the command identified as part of a shadow shipping network run by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Traffic slows through Hormuz

The enforcement campaign has sharply restricted commercial movement through the narrow corridor that connects the Persian Gulf to international waters. Data from the maritime analytics firm Kpler showed that just seven commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, 6 October, marking the lowest daily count recorded since 23 July.

It remains unclear what cargo the Ocean Molica was carrying, where the vessel was headed, or whether salvage crews have been dispatched to secure the disabled ship.