US military aircraft fired on and disabled a commercial cargo vessel flying the St. Kitts flag in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, after the ship tried to break the US blockade of Iran. The ship had visited an Iranian port and was attempting to leave regional waters when US forces intervened.
US forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces before a US plane fired precision munitions at the vessel’s stern. The blockade has been in place for months, and US Central Command estimates it has kept more than $25 billion in Iranian crude oil exports from leaving the country.
A new crackdown on arms movements
Central Command also announced a task force to stop Iran from moving advanced weapons and sanctioned material across land borders and through the Caspian Sea.
The move comes as Donald Trump has threatened a new offensive against Iran.
Source: US Central Command
