US military says it fired on ship that visited Iranian port after it tried to breach Strait of Hormuz blockade

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in The U.S. military said it disabled a ship flying the flag of St Kitts late on Saturday after the vessel ignored repeated warnings and tried to depart the region following a stop at an Iranian port. U.S. Central Command, which announced the operation, said the commercial vessel had attempted to breach a naval blockade that American forces have been enforcing on Iran for months in and around the Strait of Hormuz .

The strait is a crucial strategic waterway for global shipping, including of oil. The last confirmed US strike on a cargo vessel before Saturday's action took place nearly a month ago in the Gulf of Oman . The disclosure came after at least two instances in which U.S. Central Command did not announce military strikes it had carried out in the region. Officials at the command declined to confirm strikes when asked about local reports of explosions.

Donald Trump described Friday’s military action as ‘minor’ ( Reuters ) Iranian state media reported on Saturday evening that explosions had been heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It also reported several explosions in the port of Jask. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear, and the U.S. military did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment. Separately, the Iranian military said late on Saturday that two tankers had struck mines in the Hormuz area and caught fire.

It did not identify the tankers' flags or their destinations. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the American military had carried out new limited strikes against Iran, targeting an Iranian air defence system. Trump described the military action to reporters as "minor". "They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," he said. Mr Trump offered no further details regarding the target.

U.S. Central Command ultimately did not comment on the action, even after the strikes were confirmed by Trump. The operation followed what the US military described as “defensive strikes” conducted on Monday. Explosions were recorded on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as well as near the mainland port city of Bandar Abbas.