A U.S. military fighter jet struck and crippled a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after the vessel defied orders and tried to bypass an active maritime blockade, U.S. Central Command announced.
Military officials stated that a precision weapon targeted the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, a vessel also identified as the Arika Sun. The strike completely knocked out the ship’s propulsion system while leaving all crew members uninjured, according to a statement released by CENTCOM. Defense officials said the cargo craft was navigating regional waters after leaving an Iranian terminal.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed on Sunday that it had logged an incident between military units and a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, noting that regional authorities were reviewing the encounter.
Enforcing the naval embargo
CENTCOM reported that American forces reinstituted their naval blockade on maritime traffic entering or clearing Iranian harbors on July 14. The stated goal of the operation has been to restrict Tehran’s crude export profits and push the country to reopen surrounding sea corridors.
Over three months of strict patrols, U.S. forces have disabled four commercial craft and forced 135 other ships to turn back, military officials said. American forces also eliminated 10 tankers connected to an illicit shipping network managed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during that timeframe, according to CENTCOM.
The military action drew immediate scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, publicly questioned the justification and expense of targeting commercial traffic in the region.
“What is this all for? Why are taxpayers paying billions to hit commercial ships?” Murphy posted on social media, describing the operation as a failure aimed at regaining prewar conditions.
Confrontations across the Strait of Hormuz
The strike in the Gulf of Oman coincided with aggressive Iranian moves in nearby passages. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that its units targeted an outbound liquefied petroleum gas carrier, identified as the NatWit-owned NV Sunshine, after accusing the craft of navigating an unauthorized route along the southern edge of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported statements from the IRGC claiming operational supervision over passage through the narrow strait, where Tehran demands that merchant shipping follow designated routes. The UKMTO reported that a projectile hit the port side of an outbound vessel in the corridor, sparking an onboard blaze, though the agency reported the crew was unharmed.
Merchant traffic attempting to traverse the waterway—the only maritime entry to the petroleum-heavy Persian Gulf—has faced regular strikes since a wider conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran began in late February. Before the outbreak of hostilities, approximately 20 percent of worldwide oil and liquefied natural gas shipments moved through the strait.
Regional violence has also spilled onto nearby territory. On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned strikes against Saudi Arabia by Houthi forces that resulted in several fatalities, including the death of an American citizen at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Maritime security agencies continue to monitor conditions across the Gulf, where commercial shippers face competing blockades and regular missile threats with no clear diplomatic resolution in sight.
