On 7 November, the US military attacked a vessel in the Gulf of Oman that was attempting to breach Iran’s maritime blockade. At the same time, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said two tankers had been blown up by mines it had laid.
This was reported by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on X and by Iran’s Mehr news agency.
According to CENTCOM, US forces disabled a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman, at the exit from the Strait of Hormuz into the Indian Ocean. The command said the crew ignored repeated warnings and made several attempts to breach Iran’s maritime blockade.
CENTCOM forces disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Nov. 7, after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to violate the naval blockade against Iran multiple times. A U.S. military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the ship after CENTCOM forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces. The cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port. Read the full release online: https://t.co/5wW1LqN1oW
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 7, 2026
The US military уточнили, that it was the Saint Kitts-flagged vessel Huda. It was trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz for the Indian Ocean after calling at an Iranian port.
According to CENTCOM, US forces warned the crew that a strike was being prepared and ordered them to leave the engagement zones. After that, a US military aircraft used precision-guided munitions, striking the stern of the vessel and disabling it.
Meanwhile, the IRGC Navy said two tankers had been blown up by sea mines. According to the Iranian side, the vessels were trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while bypassing the route designated by Tehran for merchant shipping.
“Two offending tankers, one east of the Strait of Hormuz and one inside the strait, exploded and are burning intensely after detonating mines while attempting to pass via an unauthorised route,” the IRGC statement said.
The Iranian corps accused the vessels of numerous violations, including transiting with navigation and positioning systems switched off. At the same time, the military did not disclose the names of the tankers, the owning companies, or what happened to their crews.
Separately, Al Jazeera reports that the UAE National Guard responded to information about a fire on board a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman. According to the broadcaster, rescuers evacuated 22 crew members of Arab origin.
The outlet notes that this incident occurred after the IRGC reported two oil tankers being blown up by mines near the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Iran said that on the night of 22 October, seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz after strikes or detonations on sea mines.
- Since the start of US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, Tehran has been trying to establish control over the Strait of Hormuz — one of the key routes for global supplies of oil and natural gas.
- Iran is also attacking vessels that it believes are using this waterway without permission. According to Kpler, oil export volumes through the strait fell again last week.
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy said the number of attacks on vessels in the area has reached its highest level since the start of the conflict.
- At the same time, the US Navy, which has imposed its own blockade of Iranian vessels, has recently been escorting tankers through the strait.