US military says it disabled cargo ship trying to run Iran blockade

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that US forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said the crew ignored warnings and tried to run the US naval blockade against Iran. Al Jazeera and Reuters both reported the statement. Both rely on the same CENTCOM account.

According to Al Jazeera, CENTCOM named the vessel as the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun. CENTCOM said a US fighter jet struck the ship's stern with a precision munition.

CENTCOM said the crew "ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade against Iran", "having previously departed an Iranian port". It said the strike succeeded in "fully disabling the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew". The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include independent confirmation of these statements.

Other incidents

On Sunday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had received "a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman". It said authorities were investigating. The reports do not establish whether this is the ship CENTCOM described.

UKMTO also said an outbound tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was hit on the port side by an unknown projectile, causing a fire. It said the crew were reported safe. Damage and environmental impact were unknown.

UKMTO said that on Thursday a vessel 94km (58 miles) north of Madinat ash Shamal, off Qatar, was struck by multiple projectiles, causing several casualties. It gave no casualty figures.

According to Al Jazeera, Iran has tried to make ships seek permission to cross the strait via its preferred routes during the war. More vessels have used a route along the southern coast.

What is disputed

No party in the reports directly contests CENTCOM's account. The reports include no statement from the crew, owner, operator or Panama as flag state. They do not describe the cargo, the destination or the Iranian port. They include no Iranian government response to the US strike.

What each side says

CENTCOM said the US resumed its blockade of all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports on 14 July. It said US forces have since disabled four commercial vessels, turned around 135 ships and destroyed 10 tankers it links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The reports do not independently verify these figures.

In a statement carried by official Iranian media, the IRGC said it struck an LPG carrier, NV Sunshine, owned by NatWit. It said the ship "was attempting to transit via the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz". It said Iranian forces "have taken control of the administration of the strait". The reports do not establish whether this is the tanker UKMTO described.

Al Jazeera quoted US Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, as writing on X: "What is this all for? Why are taxpayers paying billions to hit commercial ships?" He suggested the goal was leverage in talks with Iran. "What a disaster," he wrote.

Vocemundi reviewed only a summary of the Reuters report.

Analysis

The reported incidents point to rising risk for commercial shipping in waters near Iran. Both the US and the IRGC now say they are using force against merchant vessels, each citing its own rules for passage. Key facts remain unverified, including the condition of the crews and whether separate reports describe the same ships. One possible scenario is further strikes and rerouting as shipowners weigh competing demands. Another is that the incidents feed into diplomatic talks, as Senator Murphy suggested. Statements from the crews, owners and flag states, and independent checks, would help clarify what happened.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.