A US military plane attacks the stern of a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman “without harming the crew,” CENTCOM says. Published October 11, 2026 October 11, 2026 US forces disabled a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman after its crew “ignored repeated warnings and attempted to execute the ongoing naval blockade against Iran,” according to Central Command (CENTCOM). A U.S. military fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, also known as Arika Sun, with a precision munition on Saturday, “completely disabling the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew,” CENTCOM said in a statement. The ship was attempting to transit through regional waters after “having previously left an Iranian port.” CENTCOM said its forces resumed their blockade against all ships “entering or leaving Iranian ports on July 14,” crippling four commercial vessels and turning around 135 ships during “three months of strict enforcement.” network” during the same period, CENTCOM said. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy questioned the military strike, writing in X: “What is all this for? “Why do taxpayers pay billions to attack commercial ships?” “What a disaster.” The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency acknowledged the incident on Sunday, saying it had received “a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman” and that authorities were investigating. Meanwhile, the IRGC said it struck a ship in the Strait of Hormuz for attempting to take an “illegal route,” as Tehran seeks to impose its own blockade on the vital waterway. In a statement carried by official Iranian media, the IRGC stated that Iranian forces “have taken control of the administration of the strait.” “While carrying out this mission, a few hours ago, a giant LPG carrier named NV Sunshine, owned by NatWit, which was attempting to transit the illegal route south of the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked,” the statement said. Ships in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas beach, Iran, October 6, 2026 [Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via WANA/Reuters]The UKMTO said on Sunday that an oil tanker leaving the strait was hit on its port side by an unknown projectile, causing a fire on board. The UK agency said the crew members were safe, while the damage and environmental impact remained unknown at the time of the report. Tehran has attempted to impose control over the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel war against Iran, insisting that ships be granted permission to cross through its preferred routes. However, ships are increasingly at risk by taking an alternative route that skirts the southern coast of the strait. The UK maritime agency said Thursday that a ship sailing 94 kilometers (58 miles) north of Madinat ash Shamal, off Qatar’s northern coast, was hit by multiple projectiles, resulting in several casualties. The agency did not specify the origin of the ship or the number of people killed or injured, adding that authorities were investigating the incident amid a recent increase in attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Ships in the Gulf trying to cross the strait, which is the only sea route to or from the oil-rich region, have faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel began war in late February. The Strait of Hormuz remains vital to the global economy, with around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passing through the passage before the war began.
