U.S. Central Command says an American aircraft fired Hellfire missiles at the smokestack of the Curaçao-flagged M/T Belma after it ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach the naval blockade en route to Iran's Kharg Island. The vessel stopped advancing. CENTCOM also reported that over the first 17 hours since the blockade resumed, two ships were redirected and one disabled.
U.S. Central Command has released a statement confirming that the empty Curaçao-flagged tanker M/T Belma was disabled with Hellfire missiles fired from an American aircraft after it ignored repeated warnings while heading to Iran's Kharg Island. The statement also specifies that the two redirects and one disable occurred within the first 17 hours of the resumed blockade, which began at 4:00 p.m. ET on July 14. This update follows earlier reports and provides the specific method of disabling.
The Zioneer first reported on the incident early Thursday (00:17 Jerusalem), initially citing a U.S. military announcement that a ship had been disabled near Kharg Island. Subsequent updates at 00:17 identified the vessel as the M/T Belma and confirmed the use of Hellfire missiles. At 13:32 Thursday, The Zioneer reported that two ships had been redirected and one disabled in the first 24 hours. The current statement refines the timeline to 17 hours and provides the specific disabling method.
The blockade, enforced by CENTCOM since April 13, has resulted in multiple interdictions, as The Zioneer reported on June 10 and June 11. Previous actions include disabling the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman. The blockade aims to restrict Iranian oil exports.
CENTCOM did not specify the exact time of the incident on July 15 or the current status of the vessel's crew. The extent of damage to the smokestack and whether the vessel will be towed were not detailed.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake