TEHRAN: The United States has said it disabled an oil tanker bound for Iran as part of its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to US Central Command (Centcom), a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the engine room of the Botswana-flagged tanker M/T Lexie after the vessel’s crew allegedly failed to respond to repeated warnings.
Centcom also released video footage that it said showed the strike on the tanker, which occurred on Tuesday. Iranian authorities have not publicly responded to the incident.
The US military has been enforcing a blockade on vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports since April 13.
In a statement, Centcom said US forces took action against the M/T Lexie while it was traveling through international waters toward Kharg Island. The military claimed the crew repeatedly ignored instructions issued by US forces over a 24-hour period.
Centcom said that since the blockade began, six commercial vessels have been disabled and 122 others have been diverted from their intended routes.
(Inputs from BBC)
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