US fighter jet struck and disabled an oil tanker headed for Iran’s Kharg Island

A Hellfire missile fired from a U.S. fighter jet disabled an oil tanker heading for the Iranian port of Kharg Island after the vessel “ignored repeated warnings” and did not comply with directions issued under a U.S.-naval maritime blockade, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said Tuesday.  

Centcom “enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island,” the command said in a statement, referring to one of Iran’s primary oil export terminals.

The release noted that the ship’s crew failed to follow directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period.

“A U.S. aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran,” according to the........

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