US Central Command says a Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova after the civilian crew ignored repeated warnings, disabling the vessel as it attempted to breach the naval blockade on Iran. According to CENTCOM, the ship is no longer proceeding to Iran. The command also reported that since the blockade resumed, 55 commercial ships have been turned away, three were disrupted for non-compliance, and two were boarded for inspection.
CENTCOM confirmed at 22:21 Jerusalem that a Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova after the civilian crew ignored repeated warnings to halt. The vessel, which was attempting to reach an Iranian port in violation of the US naval blockade, has been disabled and is no longer proceeding to Iran. CENTCOM also provided updated operation statistics: since the blockade resumed, 55 commercial ships have been turned away, three have been disabled for non-compliance, and two have been boarded for inspection.
The story unfolded rapidly throughout Tuesday. Initial reports at 15:32 from Channel 14 said a US helicopter fired on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Minutes later, the Wall Street Journal identified the ship as Panama-flagged and said the crew was attempting to transfer to another civilian vessel. By 15:32, CENTCOM confirmed the interdiction, and further reports specified that two Hellfire missiles targeted the engine room. At 22:09, The Zioneer reported the helicopter disablement; the current bulletin includes CENTCOM's detailed confirmation and the cumulative blockade statistics.
As The Zioneer reported on June 10, CENTCOM disabled the oil tanker M/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to bypass the blockade. On July 16, the M/T Belma was similarly disabled. The Vela Nova is at least the second vessel disabled in the Gulf of Oman during the current campaign.
The condition of the Vela Nova's civilian crew and the ship's ultimate fate have not been reported.
14 developments
- StrongUS military says it disabled ship repeatedly trying to breach naval blockade
- DevelopingCENTCOM strikes oil tanker attempting to breach blockade in Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIranian opposition site: CENTCOM threatens to attack vessels sailing between Iranian ports
- StrongCENTCOM: Two vessels diverted in past 24 hours as part of Iran naval blockade
Source and signal
- Open-source intake