US forces fired Hellfire missiles at a supertanker approaching Iran’s most critical oil export terminal, marking a sharp escalation in the naval blockade of Iranian ports. Bushehr Deputy Governor Ehsan Jahanian confirmed the strike near Kharg Island, the chokepoint responsible for roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports.
The targeted vessel, the Curacao-flagged M/T Belma, was unladen at the time. No oil spill occurred.
What happened in the Persian Gulf
The strike took place near Kharg Island after the M/T Belma reportedly ignored multiple warnings from US Central Command. CENTCOM has been enforcing a re-imposed naval blockade on Iranian ports since mid-April, following airstrikes on over 90 military sites inside Iran back in March.
The US deliberately avoided hitting oil infrastructure in those March strikes. This latest action stays consistent with that pattern. An empty tanker got the message, not a loaded one.
