Shafaq News- Washington

American forces disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel breached a US naval blockade on Iranian ports, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday.

US forces intercepted the unladen tanker M/T Hasna at around 9:00 a.m. ET as it sailed through international waters toward an Iranian port. CENTCOM said the crew received repeated warnings that the vessel was violating blockade measures before a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) fired several rounds from its 20mm cannon, disabling the ship’s rudder and preventing it from continuing toward Iran.

The blockade on vessels entering or departing Iranian ports “remains in full effect,” the command stressed.

At the White House, US President Donald Trump described the situation in the Strait of Hormuz as “largely under control,” claiming American forces had established “a wall of steel” across the strategic waterway.

Trump had announced “Project Freedom” on May 3 as a naval mission aimed at escorting stranded vessels through the Strait, but suspended the operation less than 48 hours later, citing requests from Pakistan and other countries as well as reported progress in indirect talks with Iranian representatives. Following the suspension, the naval arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that safe passage through the waterway became possible after the removal of threats posed by what it described as “aggressors.”