#US, #Iran, #Missiles, #MaritimeBlockade, #Shipping
WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) – The U.S. military on Tuesday said it had used missiles to disable the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship which ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
A U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova’s engine room, the Central Command added.
“As of Aug. 11, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2,” it said in a statement.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Jasper Ward)
