US forces disable ship ‘attempting to run’ Iran blockade in Gulf of Oman

BREAKING: US forces disable a commercial cargo ship 'attempting to run' an Iran blockade in the Gulf of Oman, with a military jet striking the vessel's stern without harming the crew, CENTCOM says.

An American fighter jet just shot the propulsion out of a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.

CENTCOM says the Panama-flagged Ocean Molica ignored repeated warnings and tried to run the naval blockade on Iran after leaving an Iranian port. A precision munition hit the stern, disabled the ship, and left the crew unharmed. That blockade has been running since July 14, and in three months American forces have disabled four vessels, turned around 135 ships, and destroyed ten tankers they tie to the Revolutionary Guard's shadow fleet.

Iran is enforcing a blockade of its own. The IRGC says it struck a gas carrier in the Strait of Hormuz for taking what Tehran calls an illegal route. UK maritime authorities confirmed an outbound tanker was hit by a projectile and caught fire, crew reported safe.

Two blockades, one narrow stretch of water, and merchant ships now getting shot at from both sides. That is where this war lives tonight.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.