US says it fired on, disabled ship violating Iran port blockade

AI Summary

US military disabled the Botswana-flagged oil tanker M/T Lexie after it violated a US blockade on Iranian ports by attempting to sail despite repeated warnings. A Hellfire missile was fired into the ship's engine room to halt its progress.

US says it fired on, disabled ship violating Iran port blockade US forces fired a missile at a ship that was attempting to sail to an Iranian port in violation of an American blockade, disabling the vessel, the US military said on Tuesday. The Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie - an unladen oil tanker - "ignored repeated warnings" over a 24-hour period, and an American warplane "ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship's engine room", the US military's Central Command said in a statement.