US announces strike on oil tanker bound for Iran
Kyiv • UNN
A US aircraft struck the tanker Lexie with a Hellfire missile in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel had ignored military demands as part of a maritime blockade of Iranian ports.
The United States announced that it struck the Botswana-flagged oil tanker Lexie, which was heading to Iran through the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was disabled as part of the maritime blockade of Iranian ports imposed by Washington, BBC reports, according to UNN.
Details
According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom), an American aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at the engine room of the unladen tanker after its crew repeatedly ignored warnings and demands from the U.S. military for 24 hours. The Command also released a video which it claims captured the moment of the strike.
The U.S. noted that the blockade of all vessels heading to or from Iranian ports has been in effect since April 13. According to Centcom, six commercial vessels have been disabled since the start of the operation, and another 122 were forced to change course. Iran has not yet publicly commented on the incident.
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