Credit : CENTCOM's X
TAMPA, November 7, 2026 — US forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after its crew ignored repeated warnings and tried several times to break the US naval blockade against Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
In a statement also posted on X, CENTCOM said a US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the ship after US forces directed the crew to abandon the targeted spaces.
The cargo vessel had tried to leave regional waters after visiting an Iranian port, the command said.
Blockade figures
CENTCOM said enforcement actions since July have resulted in US forces redirecting 147 commercial vessels that complied and disabling five merchant ships that refused to comply.
It added that it had previously destroyed another 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers that it said were part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ multibillion-dollar shadow network, and advised all mariners near Iranian coastal areas or surrounding waters to heed blockade warnings from US forces.
CENTCOM’s statement did not give details of the condition of the crew or the extent of damage to the vessel. Maritime tracking service Vesseltracker reported that the Huda was hit at an anchorage area off the port of Khor Fakkan and that all crew members were reportedly safe.
According to the Associated Press, the last confirmed US strike on a cargo vessel was nearly a month ago.
Earlier on Saturday, CENTCOM announced that Adm. Brad Cooper had directed the formation of a new Tampa-based task force, Task Force Iron Gate, intended to prevent the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea, Stars and Stripes reported.
Source: CENTCOM’s X; US Central Command; Vesseltracker; AP; Stars and Stripes
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