The United States opened fire on a Panama-flagged vessel that, according to The Wall Street Journal, attempted to break the blockade of Iranian ports. The newspaper reported this with reference to a US official.
Incident details
According to The Wall Street Journal, a US military helicopter opened fire on the helm of a Panama-flagged vessel on Tuesday. This occurred after the crew ignored warnings from forces enforcing the naval blockade of Iranian ports.
There were no immediate reports of casualties after the incident. According to the publication, the vessel appeared to attempt to transfer its crew to another civilian vessel after the attack.
Earlier, the British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a source in the maritime security sector stated that, according to preliminary estimates, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova had allegedly suffered a missile strike while passing through the Gulf of Oman.
Source: Reuters
