US Fires Hellfire Missile At Fifth Ship Defying Iran Blockade As Nuclear Deal Talks Stall

U.S. Central Command disabled a fifth commercial vessel Friday, firing a Hellfire missile into the engine room of a Gambian-flagged ship defying the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Blockade Tightens

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The vessel, M/V Lian Star, ignored more than 20 warnings while transiting toward an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, CENTCOM said in a statement. “The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” it added. According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have now disabled five ships and redirected 116 vessels total.

The Pentagon estimated in early May the blockade has cost Iran roughly $4.8 billion in oil revenue since President Donald Trump imposed it on April 13, after U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations collapsed. Earlier this week, Trump called Iran “very good negotiators” but said the U.S. holds all the cards, as Vice President JD Vance confirmed uranium enrichment rules remain unresolved.