US Central Command forces fired Hellfire missiles into a supertanker in the Persian Gulf on July 15, disabling the vessel near Iran’s Kharg Island oil export terminal. The strike on the Curacao-flagged M/T Belma, a roughly 160,000 deadweight ton crude carrier, marks the first confirmed missile action against a tanker since Washington reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The tanker was unladen at the time, meaning no oil spill resulted.
What happened in the Persian Gulf
The M/T Belma, built in 2005, was reportedly attempting to breach the US naval blockade when CENTCOM forces engaged it in international waters. Missiles targeted the ship’s smokestack, a precision strike designed to kill the engines without sinking the vessel or triggering an environmental disaster.
The proposed blockade framework reportedly includes a 20% safe-passage charge, a toll that has drawn sharp criticism from multiple trading nations and shipping companies operating in the region. Kharg Island is Iran’s primary crude export hub, and the Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supply.
