U.S. Helicopter Attacked Panamanian-Flagged Vessel for Attempting to Break Through to Iranian Ports

On the morning of August 11, U.S. military personnel opened fire on a Panamanian-flagged vessel that was attempting to break through the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

This was stated by a U.S. official, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A U.S. military helicopter struck the ship’s rudder after its crew ignored warnings.

Following the attack, the ship attempted to transfer its crew to another civilian vessel.

The maritime security company Vanguard clarified that the container ship VELA NOVA was struck by a missile while sailing westward in the Gulf of Oman, approximately 71 nautical miles off the coast of Pakistan.

The missile caused a fire on board, which was subsequently extinguished, and all 17 crew members remained unharmed.

As of August 8, less than a month after the resumption of the naval blockade of Iran, the U.S. had redirected 53 commercial vessels, disabled two, and dispatched inspection teams to two others.