US Navy disables three Iranian-flagged vessels transiting Gulf of Oman blockade

An F/A-18 Super Hornet fires an AGM-88G missile in November 2022 on the Point Mugu Sea Range off the coast of southern California. Super Hornets have been used by the US Navy against Iran in 2026. (NAVAIR)

US armed forces in the Gulf of Oman have disabled at least three Iranian-flagged vessels transiting to Iranian ports, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

CENTCOM said it was enforcing what it described as “blockade measures” when an unladen oil tanker, M/T Hasna , attempted to sail toward an Iranian port at 0900 ET on 6 May.

The command said US forces warned M/T Hasna multiple times it was in violation of the US blockade before a US Navy Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fired rounds from its 20 mm cannon at the vessel, disabling the vessel's rudder. The Super Hornet was launched from aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), according to CENTCOM.

US forces then disabled M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda on 8 May, which the command said were also “in violation of the ongoing US blockade”.

CENTCOM said a Super Hornet launched from aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) “disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran”.

CENTCOM said all three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran, and added that it has disabled multiple commercial vessels and redirected more than 50 vessels to uphold the blockade.

For more, please see: Iran conflict 2026: Iran's degraded naval capability enables continued low-tempo maritime disruption targeting commercial shipping