US warplane fires Hellfire missile into cargo ship's engine room to enforce Iran blockade near Strait of Hormuz
A US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the M/V Lian Star in the Gulf of Oman after the Gambian-flagged bulk carrier ignored more than 20 warnings and tried to reach an Iranian port, CENTCOM confirmed Saturday.
The interception
United States forces operating in the Gulf of Oman disabled a commercial vessel attempting to breach the maritime blockade imposed on Iranian ports. The M/V Lian Star, sailing under the flag of Gambia, was detected in international waters heading toward the Iranian coast. CENTCOM issued more than 20 warnings informing the crew that their course constituted a direct violation of the US blockade. After the crew repeatedly refused to alter course, an American aircraft launched a guided Hellfire missile directly into the ship's engine room, completely disabling its propulsion and leaving it adrift.
The ship is no longer sailing toward Iran.
US forces did not board the vessel, and no information on casualties was provided. A US official speaking anonymously to the Associated Press confirmed the freighter remains unmaneuverable in the Gulf of Oman.
Blockade enforcement by the numbers
This marks the sixth commercial vessel disabled by US forces since the blockade began. According to the official CENTCOM tally, American forces have also diverted or turned back 116 other vessels attempting to enter or leave Iran. One ship was permitted to pass. The full naval blockade of Iran commenced on April 17 as a direct response to Tehran's effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
- Ships disabled
- 6 vessels
- Ships diverted or turned back
- 116 vessels
- Ships permitted to pass
- 1 vessels
Origins of the crisis
The current confrontation traces back to large-scale military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, which opened the war. Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7. Washington imposed the blockade to increase economic pressure on Tehran and cut off oil export revenues while the truce holds.
Ceasefire negotiations at a critical juncture
The Lian Star incident unfolds as the Trump administration and Iranian representatives negotiate a potential 60-day extension of the ceasefire, coupled with talks on Iran's nuclear program. President Donald Trump met with advisers on Friday but has not yet made a decision. Iran told the Associated Press the agreement is not final. The reopening of Hormuz remains a central sticking point — Washington demands Iran remove mines from the waterway and cease collecting transit fees, while Tehran insists the strait is under the Islamic Republic's full control.
I do not contemplate an agreement that gives Iran total control of the strait.
Transit fees and regional reactions
Iran has reportedly charged transit fees of up to two million US dollars per vessel, a practice experts view as a violation of the principle of free navigation. Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated Saturday that his country fundamentally opposes such fees, though a temporary levy to finance mine-clearing operations could be negotiable. A US official cited by AP noted that no mines have yet been found or destroyed in the strait. Iran's military command warned on state television that any violation of its regulations endangers the safety of maritime passage.
