The United States military disabled the Botswana-flagged oil tanker M/T Lexie in international waters after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings and continued sailing towards Iran's Kharg Island, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. It also released video footage of the moment a US aircraft struck the ship.
Hellfire Missile Strike
According to CENTCOM, the US fired a Hellfire missile at the tanker as it sailed through a key oil export terminal in the Arabian Gulf, preventing it from reaching the Iranian port. The action is part of Washington's ongoing maritime blockade measures against Iran. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also reshared the video on his X account.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the tanker was unladen at the time of the incident and failed to comply with directions issued by US forces on multiple occasions over a 24-hour period. The vessel continued its course despite repeated warnings before American forces intervened. A US aircraft ultimately disabled the ship by firing a Hellfire missile into its engine room, rendering it unable to continue towards Kharg Island.
Broader Enforcement Campaign
The action forms part of a wider US enforcement campaign that began on April 13, when CENTCOM started implementing a blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports. According to the military command, US forces have so far disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 others during the operation, which has continued alongside a ceasefire with Iran.
IRGC Strikes 'US-Owned' Ship in Hormuz
Separately, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) confirmed that its vessel, Sariska V, was struck by two projectiles in the port of Umm Qasr on Monday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had earlier reported an attack on a vessel southeast of Umm Qasr without identifying the ship involved.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed responsibility for the strike, describing the Sariska V as a 'US-owned' ship and saying the attack was retaliation for an earlier strike on an Iranian vessel near Oman.
MSC rejected the allegation, saying the attack was 'completely unjustified based on the allegations made by the IRGC since MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel.' The company added that it is headquartered in Switzerland and wholly owned by Italian nationals.
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