US says it disabled vessel attempting to reach Iranian port

US Central Command says it intercepted and disabled a vessel that it accused of attempting to breach the maritime blockade by sailing towards an Iranian port.

In a statement, CENTCOM said the Gambian-flagged ship failed to comply with orders to stop.

“Yesterday we disabled a Gambian-flagged ship that was trying to break the blockade by sailing towards an Iranian port.”

The command said US forces targeted the vessel's engine room after it refused to comply.

“We disabled the ship after it failed to comply by firing a missile at the engine room, which caused it to stop.”