In what appears to be the first such incident by the U.S. in weeks, the U.S. military disabled a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after its crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach Washington’s naval blockade against Iran, reported Anadolu Agency. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said a fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, disabling its propulsion system. The military said no crew members were harmed. According to CENTCOM, the vessel had departed an Iranian port and was attempting to transit regional waters when it was intercepted.

Late Saturday, the IRGC said a crude oil supertanker had exploded and caught fire after striking a mine on an unauthorized route in Hormuz, having switched off its navigation systems, Tasnim reported. “A devastating fire is the fate of any tanker that violates the rules and disregards security in the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said in a statement, and released aerial footage of the fire. According to WANA)( https://wanaen.com/second-super-tanker-strikes-sea-mine-in-strait-of-hormuz/), the IRGC said this was the third tanker to have hit a mine since the previous day.