US forces have disabled an oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port, firing a missile into the vessel's engine room after the crew ignored repeated warnings, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). The action is the enforcement of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports that has been in effect as a ceasefire in the region holds.

The interception

CENTCOM said a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the vessel, leaving it no longer transiting toward Iran. The reports describe warnings issued to the crew over a 24-hour period, with the ship failing to comply with US directions, as reported by TASS and the Jerusalem Post. ABC Australia and The Hindu meanwhile noted the vessel ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces before the strike.

The ship was heading to Iran's Kharg Island, according to Al Jazeera, the Jerusalem Post and TASS. It was described as being empty of cargo by the Jerusalem Post and TASS. According to ABC, the empty vessel remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman after the strike, and US forces did not board it.

No mention of casualties was made in the CENTCOM statement, as carried by The Hindu.

Coverage comparison

All five outlets' accounts of the incident draw from US Central Command statements, and they agree on the core elements: a missile fired into the engine room, repeated warnings that were rebuffed, and the ship being stopped from reaching Iran. Beyond that, the reports diverge on several details.

ABC Australia and The Hindu identified the vessel as the Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star. Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post described a forced Botswana-flagged tanker, and TASS named the ship Lexie, also calling it Botswana-flagged and describing it as an oil tanker.

The outlets also place the incident at slightly different times: The Hindu reported the strike occurred on the night of May 29 with the announcement on May 30; ABC said the military reported it on Saturday; Al Jazeera, the Jerusalem Post and TASS all timeline the action to June 3.

There are also differences in the cumulative totals of the and the promilitary blockade. ABC Australia, Al Jazeera and TASS state US forces disabled six commercial vessels, while The Hindu reported the disabled count as five. TASS says 122 ships have been diverted, while ABC and The Hindu give 116. ABC reported that another ship was allowed to proceed through A.

Key claims

  • US forces disabled a tanker attempting to sail to an Iranian port by firing a missile into its engine room — reported by all five outlets, quoting CENTCOM.
  • The ship was targeted for scooping as it headed for Kharg Island; it was empty of cargo — reported by Al Jazeera, the Jerusalem Post and TASS.
  • The vessel's crew ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour period — per the Jerusalem Post, TASS and ABC — and failed to respond to more than 20 warnings — per ABC and The Hindu. Supposedly the missile followed.
  • US forces have launched the naval blockade in response to Iran's effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz — per ABC and The Hindu.
  • Dates given in the blockade start differ: ABC says April 17, while the Jerusalem Post, TASS say April 13.
  • Totals for vessels disabled and redirected differ across the reports (five or six disabled; 116 or 122 diverted).

Perspectives

US military — CENTCOM describes its actions as enforcing the legal blockade of Iranian ports, even as the US continues to work messages to the Iranian naval forces; the US Pentagon says the ship was violating the blockade when it attempted to enter an Iranian port. ABC reports that President Donald Trump has been holding talks as the ceasefire continues, with the blockade seeking to limit Iran's shipments.

Iranian government — As reported by ABC, Iran has said the deal is not finalised, and has asserted that it must grant approval for any passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively halted all traffic through the waterway, according to ABC and The Hindu, while a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.