WASHINGTON D.C Oct 10, 2026 – U.S. Central Command said a fighter jet struck a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after the ship ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The Panama-flagged bulk carrier M/V Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun, had left an Iranian port and was trying to transit regional waters when U.S. forces hit its stern with a precision munition, fully disabling propulsion without harming the crew, CENTCOM stated. The command advised mariners operating near the Strait of Hormuz approaches to monitor notices to mariners and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16.
The action is part of a blockade that U.S. forces resumed on July 14. In the three months since, CENTCOM reported that four commercial vessels have been disabled and 135 ships turned around, while 10 tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shadow fleet have been destroyed. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to multi-month lows amid the broader conflict that began in February, when the United States and Israel launched operations against Iran.
The incident occurred as regional maritime tensions remained elevated, with additional reports of attacks on commercial vessels and concerns over disruptions to oil shipments through the strategic waterway.
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