U.S. forces disabled a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly tried to break through Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports, according to U.S. military officials, adding another maritime flashpoint to the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the M/T Lavine was stopped Friday after attempting to run the blockade at least four times. He said the crew had been warned and did not comply with commands before American forces fired into the ship’s engine room.
The military said it was the second commercial ship disabled since the blockade was reimposed. Central Command has also redirected 12 vessels, according to the account.
The incident came as U.S. and Iranian attacks continued across the region. Iranian forces targeted sites linked to the United States and its allies around the Persian Gulf, while the U.S. struck Iranian military locations, including Revolutionary Guard naval facilities and sites on Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state-linked outlets.
Central Command said the strikes were intended to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.”
President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were still active, even as U.S. strikes continued. “We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them,” Trump told reporters Friday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected pressure from Washington, saying Iran “will not bow to U.S.” bullying and was “neither intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut by Iranian attacks, disrupting a route that carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas in peacetime. The military confrontation has left ships stranded, fuel prices elevated and thousands of mariners caught near the fighting.
