US Says it Disabled Oil Tanker Sailing Towards Iran's Kharg Island
The vessel, which was not carrying cargo, reportedly ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour period to alter its course
Florida: The United States military has disabled a commercial oil tanker attempting to access Iran as Washington continues to enforce its naval blockade on maritime traffic linked to Iranian ports. The development comes amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah despite a fresh round of diplomatic talks in Washington.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), a Botswana-flagged oil tanker identified as the M/T Lexie was targeted after it allegedly attempted to sail towards Iran's Kharg Island. The vessel, which was not carrying cargo, reportedly ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour period to alter its course.
In an official statement, CENTCOM said a US military aircraft ultimately halted the ship by striking its engine room with a Hellfire missile. The action forms part of an enforcement campaign launched on April 13, during which US forces claim to have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 others attempting to enter or leave Iranian maritime facilities.
In a related maritime incident, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) confirmed that its vessel, Sariska V, was struck by two projectiles at the port of Umm Qasr. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had earlier reported the attack southeast of Umm Qasr without naming the vessel.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed responsibility, describing the Sariska V as a "US-owned" ship and calling the strike retaliation for an alleged attack on an Iranian vessel near Oman.
MSC rejected the claim, stating the attack was "completely unjustified" and emphasising that it is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel. The company added that it is based in Switzerland and wholly owned by Italian nationals.
As tensions at sea escalated, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continued, even as Lebanese and Israeli representatives concluded the first day of direct talks in Washington. The discussions are scheduled to resume at the US State Department on Wednesday.
Appearing before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism about a possible agreement, saying, "Israel and Lebanon can do a peace deal tomorrow." He added that Hezbollah remains the main obstacle to progress and stressed that negotiations involving Lebanon would remain separate from any diplomatic engagement with Iran.
The latest exchanges came after US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had brokered an agreement aimed at halting the violence. Lebanon's embassy in Washington later clarified that the arrangement would initially focus on stopping Israeli attacks on Beirut and Hezbollah strikes on Israeli territory before potentially expanding further.
Despite ongoing US mediation efforts, neither side has publicly endorsed the proposal, and active confrontations continue.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the negotiations as "the least costly choice for Lebanon," despite facing strong opposition from Hezbollah.
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, Israeli bombardments have killed at least 3,468 people since March 2, including 35 fatalities recorded on Tuesday. During the same period, at least 26 Israeli troops and one civilian contractor have also been killed.
