The US military says it disabled a tanker sailing toward Iran after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings and tried to breach a renewed maritime blockade. The action was disclosed by US Central Command on July 15 in a public post on X.

Blockade enforcement action

According to CENTCOM, the vessel was the Curacao-flagged tanker M/T Belma. The command said the ship was traveling in international waters toward Kharg Island, an Iranian port area in the Persian Gulf, when it failed to comply with US warnings.

CENTCOM said the tanker was empty at the time. After determining that the ship was attempting to violate the blockade, a US military aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the vessel’s smokestack. The strike, according to the US military, disabled the tanker’s ability to operate.

The command added that the Belma is no longer moving toward Iran.

Timeline of the renewed blockade

The incident came shortly after the US military resumed its maritime blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas. CENTCOM said the blockade restarted at 4 p.m. Eastern time on July 14.

In the first 24 hours after the measure was reimposed, the US command said it had redirected two commercial vessels that complied with the rules and disabled one ship that did not. The Belma was identified as that vessel.

CENTCOM did not, in the source account, provide further operational details beyond saying the tanker had ignored repeated warnings before the strike.

US account of the incident

The military’s description of events rests on CENTCOM’s public statement. In that account, the Belma was bound for Kharg Island when it allegedly attempted to pass through the blockade despite warnings from US forces.

The response described by CENTCOM was calibrated to stop the vessel rather than sink it. The Hellfire missile was fired at the smokestack, and the military said this left the ship unable to continue operating. The US statement did not report the tanker entering Iranian waters, and it framed the operation as an enforcement action in international waters.

CENTCOM also said US forces remain on alert to ensure full enforcement of the blockade and are prepared to respond as needed.

What is confirmed so far

The available information is limited to the US military’s statement and the summary carried in the source report. No additional details were provided there on the tanker’s ownership beyond its Curacao flag, on any crew status, or on any response from Iran or the vessel’s operators.

What is clear from the US account is the sequence laid out by CENTCOM: the blockade resumed on July 14, two commercial vessels were redirected within the next day after complying with instructions, and one tanker headed toward Kharg Island was disabled after allegedly attempting to violate the restrictions.

The incident underscores the immediate enforcement posture adopted by US forces following the resumption of the maritime blockade, with CENTCOM signaling that further action may follow if other vessels are judged to be in breach.

Source: en.bloomingbit.io