U.S. Military Confirms Striking a Cargo Ship Attempting to Sail to an Iranian Port

On May 30, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that the U.S. Central Command confirmed on social media that a U.S. military aircraft fired a missile at a cargo ship flying the Gambian flag in the Gulf of Oman on the 29th, causing it to lose its navigational power as it attempted to head towards an Iranian port.

The report stated that U.S. Central Command forces monitored the cargo ship as it was traversing international waters towards an Iranian port along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. military subsequently issued multiple warnings to the ship, informing it that it had violated the U.S. "blockade order." As the crew refused to comply with the instructions, a U.S. military aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the cargo ship's cabin, causing it to lose power. Currently, the cargo ship has ceased its journey towards Iran.

The report also mentioned that the U.S. military has so far caused five merchant ships to lose navigational capability and forced 116 vessels to change course.

Earlier that day, an unnamed U.S. official told Associated Press reporters that the U.S. military intercepted another merchant ship attempting to breach the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. military aircraft took action against this ship, causing it to lose power, and it is currently still adrift in the Gulf of Oman.

Since April 13, the U.S. has implemented a blockade on all vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports to exert pressure on Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei stated on May 29 that the U.S. so-called "maritime blockade" has been illegal from the very beginning, violating the ceasefire agreement and obstructing the freedom of international navigation.