US Fires Hellfire Missiles at Ship Breaking Iran Blockade
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- US Central Command says an MH-60 helicopter fired two hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova on Tuesday to disable its steering gear as it attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman to an Iranian port.
- Centcom said the Vela Nova's civilian crew "ignored repeated warnings from American forces" and confirmed the vessel "is no longer transiting to Iran" after the strike.
- Centcom did not state whether the strike caused any casualties or injuries on board the vessel.
- As of 11 August, the US blockade has redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2 since enforcement began.
- The blockade follows the failed war the US and Israel launched on 28 February, after which Iran retaliated against Israel and US-allied Gulf states and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.
- Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, and prices have "fluctuated wildly" since the conflict began.
- Mediators have failed to secure a deal to reopen the strait since a ceasefire collapsed in June, with the US and Iran exchanging fire intermittently since.
Why it matters: Centcom has now fired missiles at a Panama-flagged cargo vessel attempting to reach Iran, the latest kinetic enforcement in a blockade that has already disabled 3 ships. With the Strait of Hormuz shut and a fifth of global oil and LNG flows disrupted since the February war began, missile strikes on commercial vessels narrow an already stalled diplomatic track with no mediator breakthrough in sight.
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