WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces struck and disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
A U.S. military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the ship after its crew was instructed to abandon targeted spaces, CENTCOM said in a statement.
According to CENTCOM, the cargo vessel attempted to leave regional waters after visiting an Iranian port. The command said its civilian crew ignored warnings and repeatedly attempted to breach the U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
Since July, U.S. forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels and disabled five merchant ships that refused to comply with the blockade, CENTCOM said.
It added that U.S. forces had previously destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers, alleging that they were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network operated by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps. ■