U.S. Central Command says it struck the oil tanker Jalveer with a Hellfire missile from a fighter jet, hitting the engine room. The vessel had been attempting to break the naval blockade and smuggle Iranian oil, CENTCOM stated. This is the latest in a series of interdictions in the Gulf of Oman.
The strike against the Jalveer is the latest in a series of interdictions by U.S. Central Command against vessels attempting to breach the naval blockade on Iran in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz. Over the past week, the U.S. military has disabled at least eight vessels by striking their engine rooms with precision munitions, as part of a campaign to cut off Iranian oil smuggling. The Jalveer suffered two Hellfire missile hits to the engine room and is no longer attempting to breach the blockade, according to the U.S. military. The vessel joins a list of disabled ships including the M/T Settebello, which was struck twice in recent days. The operation comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with Iran having launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan earlier this morning.
3 developments
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