The U.S. military said on the 2nd (local time) it disabled with a missile a empty oil tanker that was heading to Iran while evading the United States' "reverse blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which has overall command of U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said on X (formerly Twitter) that it "carried out a blockade action against the Botswana-flagged oil tanker 'M/T Lexiho' as it was heading to (Iran's) Kharg Island through international waters." Kharg Island is Iran's largest crude oil export hub.
CENTCOM said the ship's crew ignored repeated warnings for 24 hours and did not comply with multiple U.S. military instructions, and that a U.S. military aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel.
CENTCOM explained it fired a Hellfire missile, a precision air-to-surface guided missile, into the ship's engine room, preventing the vessel from reaching Iran.
Under orders from President Donald Trump, the U.S. military has been enforcing a blockade on all vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports or coasts around the Strait of Hormuz since Apr. 13.
CENTCOM said that since the start of the blockade it has disabled six civilian merchant ships and turned back 122.