US Bombs Commercial Ship as It Continues Enforcing Blockade of Iranian Ports

US Central Command has announced that its forces bombed a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman that it accused of attempting “to run” the US blockade of Iranian ports. “[CENTCOM] forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Oct. 10, after the ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade against Iran,” the US military command said in a statement that included a video of the bombing. Video of the strike released by CENTCOM CENTCOM said that a US fighter jet carried out the strike against the Ocean Molica, a Panama-flagged cargo ship. “The large cargo vessel was attempting to transit regional waters after having previously departed an Iranian port,” the command said. The attack marked the first known US bombing of a commercial ship in the region since early September, when the US struck multiple Iranian tankers . The new strike comes as Iran has dramatically ramped up its attacks on shipping in or near the Strait of Hormuz over the past few weeks. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that a supertanker was on fire after striking a mine as it attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz. “A massive fire awaits any violating oil tanker that seeks to disregard the security and regulations of the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said. The IRGC also said that its forces struck a liquefied petroleum gas tanker that it said was attempting to pass through an “illegal route” in the strait. The transport of oil out of the strait reached its highest level since the start of the war at the end of September, but the level has declined as Iran has ramped up its attacks. If you liked this article, please support Antiwar.com. We are 100% reader-supported.