The key facts

  • CENTCOM: the M/V Huda under the flag of Saint Kitts was hit by a precision-guided munition from a military aircraft in the stern and immobilized
  • Since July, 147 redirected vessels have complied with the blockade of Iran; five that refused have been disabled, and 10 IRGC tankers destroyed
  • The fate of the crew and the extent of the damage were not disclosed in the command's statement

Strike on a vessel sailing from Iran

On November 7, US armed forces disabled a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman. According to a statement by US Central Command (CENTCOM), the crew of the vessel M/V Huda, sailing under the flag of Saint Kitts, repeatedly ignored warnings and attempted to break the American naval blockade of Iran: the vessel called at an Iranian port and then tried to leave regional waters. The vessel was struck by a precision-guided munition fired from an American military aircraft — the stern was hit, after which the vessel lost the ability to continue sailing. The command stated that the crew had been ordered to leave the strike zone before the attack.

The scale of the blockade operations

CENTCOM emphasized that since July, when the blockade of Iranian ports was resumed, 147 commercial vessels that complied with the military's demands have been forcibly redirected. Five vessels that refused to comply have been disabled, including the Huda. In addition, according to the command, 10 Iranian commercial tankers have been destroyed, allegedly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' 'shadow network,' estimated to be worth billions of dollars. Mariners in the area of the Iranian coast have been advised to comply with warnings from American forces.

What remains unknown

CENTCOM's statement contains no information about the condition of the Huda's crew or the extent of the vessel's damage. The Russian outlet Life.ru, describing the same incident, notes that the vessel's name, country of registration, and nature of its cargo were not specified in the American communication — while Anadolu cites the vessel's flag and name with reference to CENTCOM, which points to a discrepancy in the details of the retelling. The outlet also recalls a similar incident on August 11, when a US Navy helicopter opened fire on a vessel under the flag of Panama, whose crew, according to the American account, ignored warnings while attempting to break the blockade.