US forces fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers that attempted to violate the American naval blockade of Iran’s ports, the US military confirmed on Friday.
A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet struck both vessels with precision munitions, hitting their smokestacks to prevent the non-compliant ships from entering Iranian waters. US Central Command released footage of the strikes on social media, showing the moment the jets engaged the commercial vessels in the waters off Iran’s coast.
Blockade Enforcement Escalates
The incident marks the first direct US military engagement with commercial shipping since the naval blockade was imposed during the ongoing war with Iran. Washington has maintained the blockade since early in the conflict, seeking to cut off Iran’s maritime trade routes and pressure Tehran into negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials told Axios that the goal is to remove Iran’s leverage over the strategic waterway. “We want to take this card from the Iranians,” one official said, adding that vessels paying Iranian-linked tolls would be “seek and interdict” as Washington attempts to tighten control over maritime traffic in the region.
Saudi Arabia Restricts US Operations
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has prohibited the United States from using its airspace and military bases on its territory to launch operations related to the Iran conflict, according to two Saudi sources who spoke to AFP on Friday. The decision represents a significant diplomatic blow to Washington’s military campaign, as Saudi Arabia hosts several key US military installations in the Gulf region.
The restriction comes just days after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca, with the pact stating that an attack on one country will be deemed an attack on all. The deal was widely seen as a response to escalating Houthi strikes and the broader regional instability caused by the US-Iran war.
Strait of Hormuz Remains Contested
The incidents underscore the deepening crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, which remains effectively closed to international shipping. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed “full control” of maritime traffic in the strait, warning that any unauthorized vessels would face a “deadly vortex.” Crossings through the strait fell to a three-week low of just eight vessels on Thursday, according to MarineTraffic.com.
A growing amount of the region’s energy is being shipped through overland pipelines as an alternative, but the volumes are far from sufficient to offset the disruption. The closure has sent oil prices soaring and raised fears of a global energy crisis as the conflict between the US and Iran enters its sixth month.
Sources: L’Orient Today; US Central Command; Axios; AFP
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