In the latest escalation of Washington’s naval restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. military forces have attacked and disabled an empty oil tanker bound for Iranian waters, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) confirmed this week.
The targeted vessel, the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie, was struck by a Hellfire missile fired from a U.S. military aircraft after its crew disregarded repeated calls to halt and alter course, according to Centcom’s official statement. The command also published newly released surveillance footage that it says captures the moment the missile impacted the tanker’s engine compartment on Tuesday.
As of this reporting, Iranian officials have not issued any public response to the incident, and representatives from Botswana’s government have not yet commented— The BBC has reached out to Botswana’s administration to request a statement on the attack.
The U.S. blockade of all commercial traffic moving into and out of Iranian ports first went into effect on April 13 this year, creating heightened tensions in one of the world’s busiest and most strategically critical oil shipping chokepoints. Centcom’s latest update puts the cumulative impact of the blockade at six commercial vessels disabled through military action, with an additional 122 ships forced to change their planned routes since the restrictions were implemented. The attack marks the most recent publicly acknowledged action under the controversial blockade, which has already raised global concerns over disruption to global energy supplies and heightened conflict risk in the Persian Gulf region.