US strikes vessel attempting to break Iran's naval blockade

Strike on a vessel off the coast of Iran

The United States struck a commercial cargo ship that attempted to break through Iran's naval blockade, the US military command announced on Sunday. According to Central Command (CENTCOM), the vessel M/V Huda «attempted to leave regional waters after calling at an Iranian port», after which its stern was hit by «precision-guided munitions» fired from an American military aircraft. A video published by CENTCOM shows an explosion on the ship's stern; according to the command, the civilian crew ignored «repeated warnings». Citing Deutsche Welle, UAE authorities reported rescuing 22 people after a fire aboard a vessel in the Gulf of Oman — the outlet does not clarify whether this was the same ship or a separate incident.

Mutual blockades and the situation in the strait

The American naval blockade of Iran has been in effect for several months; its goal is to force Tehran to lift its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Deutsche Welle, before the war began in late February, a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies passed through the strait, and Iran's blockade caused energy prices to spike worldwide. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that three «non-compliant» oil tankers caught fire while passing through the strait; Tehran regularly attacks vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission. Thus, strikes on ships are coming from both sides of the confrontation, and civilian crews find themselves caught in the crossfire.

Escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis

In parallel, the escalation between the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia continues. On Sunday, Riyadh reported intercepting missiles flying toward the capital; debris damaged a building of the state oil company Aramco. There were no casualties, but according to witnesses quoted by AP, several floors of the building were heavily damaged. Saudi Arabia accused the Yemeni group of launching two ballistic and two cruise missiles; the Houthis themselves have not yet claimed responsibility. For their part, the Houthis stated that 33 people were killed on Saturday in attacks by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition on the rebel-held capital, Sanaa. It should be noted separately: the connection between these events and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is limited to the fact that both conflict lines are described in a single Deutsche Welle report; the sources do not draw any direct causal link between the strike on the M/V Huda and the exchange of strikes between Riyadh and the Houthis.