US forces strike Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker

WASHINGTON -- US forces on Wednesday morning struck and disabled an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker sailing toward an Iranian port, the US Central Command said on X.

The strike took place at 9 am US Eastern Time on Wednesday, when the targeted vessel, Hasna, was transiting international waters en route to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, said the command in a statement.

"After Hasna's crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, US forces disabled the tanker's rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon gun of a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)," the statement read.

Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran, it added.

The US blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports remains in full effect, said the command.

One day earlier, US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he has halted Pentagon's mission to guide commercial vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining its blockade of Iranian ports "in full force and effect."