strikeJun 2, 2026

US strikes empty tanker trying to reach Strait of Hormuz | The Jerusalem Post

Summary

The United States disabled an empty oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port on Tuesday, firing a missile into the ship’s engine after the crew failed to comply with directions in the Persian Gulf. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces issued repeated warnings to the crew of the Botswana-flagged vessel over the course of 24 hours as it sailed towards Iran’s Kharg Island. To stop the tanker from reaching Iran, a US aircraft fired a missile into the vessel’s engine room, disabling it. In a statement on X/Twitter, CENTCOM asserted that this is the sixth commercial vessel disabled by US forces since the blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz went into effect on April 13. CENTCOM enforces US blockade on Strait of Hormuz On Friday, CENTCOM took similar measures against a Gambia-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman attempting to reach an Iranian port. In that incident, over 20 warnings were issued to the vessel’s crew before the ship was disabled with a Hellfire missile. CENTCOM has also recently struck Iranian targets located along the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for Iran’s downing of a US drone over international waters. On Monday, CENTCOM announced that it had struck Iranian radar sites and drone command and control sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. In the same strikes, American forces also destroyed two one-way attack drones that posed a threat to vessels transiting nearby waters.

Perspectives

Iranian Official

The United States has intensified its aggression against Iranian sovereignty by launching missile strikes on commercial vessels lawfully bound for Iranian ports, including an empty tanker disabled en route to Kharg Island, as part of an illegal blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. These acts of foreign interference, coupled with recent attacks on Iranian radar and defense sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island, represent a direct violation of international norms and Iran's territorial rights. The Islamic Republic will continue to resist such provocations and defend its maritime access and national security.

Israeli

US forces enforcing the Strait of Hormuz blockade disabled a sixth vessel en route to Iranian ports, underscoring the defensive imperative to sever Tehran's maritime lifelines that sustain its proxy network and existential threats to Israel. After repeated warnings, CENTCOM aircraft struck the tankers' engines, mirroring prior actions against Iranian aggression—including retaliatory hits on radar, command sites, and attack drones following the downing of a US asset. These measures remain essential to disrupt Iran's encirclement strategy via proxies and direct confrontation.

Neutral

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces fired a missile into the engine room of a Botswana-flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday after issuing repeated warnings over 24 hours as the vessel approached Iran’s Kharg Island, disabling the ship. CENTCOM described this as the sixth such incident since April 13 and reported a similar disabling of a Gambia-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman using a Hellfire missile. CENTCOM also stated that US forces struck Iranian radar and command sites on Qeshm Island and at Goruk, as well as two drones, following the downing of a US drone.

Western

US Central Command executed precision strikes to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz, disabling a Botswana-flagged tanker and a Gambia-flagged vessel by targeting their engines after repeated warnings, marking the sixth and seventh such interventions since April 13 to neutralize attempts to evade restrictions. These operations directly supported strategic objectives of interdicting vessels heading to Iranian ports and protecting maritime traffic. In parallel, US forces conducted targeted strikes on Iranian radar and drone sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island, destroying two one-way attack drones in retaliation for the downing of a US aircraft and to eliminate ongoing threats to regional navigation.

Pro-Peace

US forces have disabled multiple commercial tankers, including one bound for Iran’s Kharg Island, by firing missiles into their engine rooms after issuing warnings, actions that endanger civilian crews and enforce a blockade disrupting vital oil shipments. These strikes, alongside attacks on Iranian radar and drone facilities in retaliation for a downed US drone, heighten risks of broader escalation with severe humanitarian fallout for populations facing economic strain and potential shortages. Diplomatic negotiations to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz remain a far less costly alternative to repeated military interventions.

Global South

US forces have unilaterally disabled multiple commercial tankers, including Botswana- and Gambia-flagged vessels, by missile strikes on their engines to enforce a de facto blockade preventing access to Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. This gunboat-style intervention, framed by CENTCOM as retaliation for a downed drone, underscores persistent neo-colonial control over critical maritime routes vital to Global South energy sovereignty. International institutions have once again failed to curb such extraterritorial coercion, leaving affected nations exposed to selective enforcement that prioritizes US strategic interests over equitable trade norms.

Actors involved

USIran

Sources

GOLDIE KATZBy GOLDIE KATZ
The United States disabled an empty oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port on Tuesday, firing a missile into the ship’s engine after the crew failed to comply with directions in the Persian Gulf. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces issued repeated w…

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