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According to CENTCOM, the vessel ignored repeated warnings issued by US forces and continued its course towards the Iranian port.
Image of hellfire strike on an oil tanker bound for Iran’s Kharg Island. (Source: X)
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday shared a video showing the moment US forces disabled the Botswana-flagged oil tanker M/T Lexie, which was sailing towards Iran’s Kharg Island.
According to CENTCOM, the vessel ignored repeated warnings issued by US forces and continued its course towards the Iranian port.
US Forces Strike Kharg Island-Bound Oil Tanker
Sharing footage of the strike, CENTCOM said a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the tanker to prevent it from reaching Kharg Island, describing the action as part of Washington’s ongoing maritime blockade measures against Iran.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also reposted the video on X.
CENTCOM said the tanker was unladen at the time of the strike and had repeatedly failed to comply with directions issued by US forces over a 24-hour period.
Also Read: ‘All Attacks On American Forces Failed’: US Denies Iranian Claim Of Striking Fifth Fleet, Air Base
According to the command, the vessel continued towards Kharg Island despite multiple warnings, prompting US forces to intervene. A US aircraft subsequently fired a Hellfire missile into the tanker’s engine room, disabling the vessel and preventing it from reaching the Iranian port.
The operation is part of a broader US maritime enforcement effort launched on April 13, when CENTCOM began enforcing restrictions on commercial shipping linked to Iranian ports.
US military officials said the operation has so far resulted in the diversion of more than 120 commercial vessels and the disabling of several others that allegedly failed to comply with blockade measures, underscoring the continued enforcement of restrictions on maritime traffic connected to Iran.
IRGC Hits ‘US-Owned’ Ship
In a separate incident, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said its container vessel, Sariska V, came under attack at Iraq’s Umm Qasr port on Monday after being hit by two projectiles.
The incident followed an earlier alert from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which reported an attack on a commercial vessel in the vicinity but did not disclose its identity.
Also Read: ‘No Sanctions Relief For Reopening Hormuz’: US Says Iran Must Address Nuclear Programme First
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) subsequently claimed responsibility, asserting that the vessel had links to the United States and describing the strike as a retaliatory response to an earlier attack on an Iranian ship near Oman.
MSC refuted the allegations and said that 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 said there was no basis for the attack and reiterated that MSC is headquartered in Switzerland and owned by Italian nationals.
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key bottleneck in the US-Iran conflict, with disruptions to the strategic waterway becoming a major sticking point in ceasefire negotiations due to its critical role in global energy supplies and maritime trade.
Meanwhile, the US and Iran have been negotiating peace deals, and the talks have focused on securing freedom of navigation in the waterway, preventing further military escalation, and reviving discussions over Iran’s nuclear programme, which remains the central point of contention between Washington and Tehran.
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Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st…Read More
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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