US fighter jet strikes cargo ship in Gulf of Oman as Iran blockade tightens

The US military on Saturday disabled a Panama-flagged commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly ignored warnings and attempted to breach Washington’s naval blockade against Iran, as tensions over shipping routes in the region continue to escalate. The US central command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X that a US military fighter jet struck the stern of the M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, with a precision munition, disabling the vessel’s propulsion system without harming its crew. The Panama-flagged bulk carrier had attempted to transit regional waters after leaving an Iranian port, CENTCOM said. Reuters reported that the US central command (CENTCOM) warned mariners in the Gulf of Oman and near the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz to heed blockade warnings, monitor notice to mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces. The US military is enforcing a naval blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports, with vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas subject to the restrictions. The blockade has been enforced through warnings and orders to commercial vessels, with US forces redirecting ships that comply and disabling those that refuse to follow instructions. In its October 10 statement, CENTCOM said four commercial vessels had been disabled and 135 ships turned back during three months of enforcement. It also said US forces had destroyed 10 tankers linked to what it described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' shadow shipping network. The latest incident comes amid mounting disruption to regional shipping. Reuters reported that only seven commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, October 6, the lowest number since July 23, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.