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The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that US naval forces disabled two more Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman as part of the ongoing US blockade measures against the Islamic Republic, while also redirecting 57 commercial vessels in the region.
In a statement issued on Friday, CENTCOM said US forces disabled the Iranian unladen tankers M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda before the vessels could enter a port of the Islamic Republic on the Gulf of Oman. According to CENTCOM, a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet operating from USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) fired precision munitions into the smokestacks of both unladen oil tankers, preventing them from reaching Iranian territory. "US Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against two Iranian-flagged unladen oil tankers attempting to pull into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran," the statement read. This comes after US forces on May 6 disabled another Iranian-flagged tanker, M/T Hasna, as it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said an F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) targeted the vessel's rudder using several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun. "All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran," the statement added. Commenting on the operations, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces remain committed to enforcing the blockade measures against vessels entering or leaving Iran. "US forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran. Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work," Cooper said. Following this announcement, CENTCOM stated that as part of the blockade, multiple commercial vessels have been disabled, with 57 ships redirected to ensure compliance as of Friday. CENTCOM announced this development in a post on X, where it shared photographs of USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) operating in the Arabian Sea in support of the blockade efforts. It added that a total of four ships were disabled so far. "Photos of USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) operating in the Middle East. The three destroyers are currently sailing in the Arabian Sea supporting the blockade against Iran. As of today, CENTCOM forces have redirected 57 commercial vessels and disabled 4 to prevent the ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports," the post added. In another update, CENTCOM said there are currently more than 70 tankers being prevented by US forces from entering or leaving Iranian ports as part of the blockade. "These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated USD 13 billion-plus," CENTCOM said in another post on X. (ANI)
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