US Helicopter Fires Missiles at Iranian-Flagged Ship to Uphold Blockade
The United States has used one of its MH‑60 helicopters to strike a cargo ship that was trying to breach a its blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. According to US Central Command (Centcom), the aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama‑flagged vessel, M/V Vela Nova, on Tuesday.
Centcom said the ship’s civilian crew had ignored repeated warnings from American forces and that after the missile strikes, the vessel was no longer able to move toward Iran. “The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” the statement added.
Iran has not yet commented on the incident. The US began blockading Iranian ports in April, after attempts to end the US‑Iran war failed. As of 11 August, Centcom reported that it had redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non‑compliant ships, and boarded 2.
The blockaded vessel was reportedly headed toward a port in Iran, though the specific destination was not named. The use of missile strikes highlights the U.S. commitment to enforce its maritime security measures in contested waters.
