The US military said late on Saturday its forces stopped a merchant ship trying to break through its blockade of Iranian ports by firing a missile into its engine room.
According to the US Central Command, the Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces overnight as it tried to enter an Iranian port, the military said. Although the ship remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman, US forces have not boarded it, according to media reports.
The latest action comes after hostilities resumed this week, despite a fragile ceasefire which has held since 7 April, and as the world awaits news on whether a deal can be reached to end the war that the US and Israel launched on Iran on 28 February over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.
With the latest action, the US military has stopped six ships trying to breach the blockade. with only one allowed to proceed. Another 116 ships have been redirected, the military said.
The US blockade was launched on 17 April in response to Iran effectively closing the strait after the war in the Middle East began.
