A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fired a precision missile at the smokestack of the M/T Sevda, an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Friday. Image courtesy of CENTCOM
The U.S. military said it disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers entering a port in the Gulf of Oman on Friday.
U.S. Central Command said the tankers — M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda — were both unladen and were attempting to violate the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz by pulling into the Iranian port.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fired missiles into the ships’ smokestacks to stop them from entering Iran. CENTCOM released video footage of the strikes and subsequent explosions on board the ships.
“U.S. forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement. “Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work.”
U.S. forces disabled another Iranian-flagged ship, the M/T Hasna, on Wednesday as it also attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said an F/A-18 Super Hornet fired multiple rounds from a 20mm cannon gun at the oil tanker’s rudder.
On Thursday, CENTCOM said it struck Iranian military sites it blamed for “unprovoked” missile, drone and boat attacks on U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz. It said the Iranian military had targeted three U.S. vessels — the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason — though none was struck.
The United States has enforced a naval blockade on Iran since April 13, preventing ships from going to and from the country. Iran, for its part, has largely blocked ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman and through which 20% of the world’s oil is transported.
Iranians rally in Tehran with missile display
A missile identified as “Khorramshahr-4” was on display during a public rally in Tehran’s Enghelab Square on April 21, 2026. Photo by Behnam Tofighi/UPI | License Photo
