US disables oil tanker bound for Iran after alleged blockade breach

The US military said it had disabled an oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings and sought to breach a recently reimposed naval blockade.

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the Curacao-flagged tanker M/T Belma, which it described as unladen, was intercepted in the Arabian Gulf while sailing towards Kharg Island.

CENTCOM said a US aircraft fired Hellfire missiles into the vessel's smokestack, rendering it unable to continue its voyage. It added that the tanker was no longer transiting towards Iran.

The incident comes a day after US forces reimposed a naval blockade on vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal waters.

Separately, CENTCOM said US forces carried out two waves of military strikes against Iran on Wednesday.

The first operation began at 6 am Eastern Time and lasted around 90 minutes, targeting coastal defence systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch facilities on Greater Tunb Island, according to the US military.

A second round of strikes followed later in the day, with CENTCOM saying the attacks were aimed at Iranian military capabilities that it claims have been used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, meanwhile, said it had responded with attacks on US military installations in the region.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its Aerospace Force struck American military facilities in Bahrain and at al-Azraq air base in Jordan in retaliation for what it described as renewed US aggression.

According to Iranian state media, the IRGC said the strikes targeted aircraft shelters, command centres and drones, and claimed damage to facilities housing US F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter aircraft as well as MQ-9 drones.

The Iranian claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate response from US authorities regarding the reported attacks.

With IANS inputs