The United States military says an MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama-flagged cargo vessel on Tuesday, disabling its steering system as it attempted to breach the American-enforced blockade of Iranian ports. US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed the ship, identified as the M/V Vela Nova, was intercepted while transiting the Gulf of Oman toward an unnamed Iranian port. The vessel is no longer heading toward Iran, according to the US military.
In its statement, Centcom said the strike followed repeated attempts to warn the crew off their course.
the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces
The statement added that the vessel
is no longer transiting to Iranfollowing the missile strikes.
What exactly did the strike hit?
According to Centcom, the missiles struck the engine room of the vessel, disabling its steering gear. However, accounts of the exact target vary: the Associated Press reported the missile struck the ship's smokestack, while a separate report described the hits as landing in the engine compartment and steering mechanism. A report by WION added that the strike may have sparked a fire aboard the vessel, which was later extinguished. Iran has not issued any public comment on the incident.
How does this fit into the wider US blockade of Iran?
The US has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports since the war between Israel, the US and Iran began on 28 February, after mediation efforts failed to secure a lasting truce. Tehran responded by striking Israel and US-allied Gulf states and effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas once passed, sending prices swinging sharply since the closure.
The blockade was reimposed on 15 July 2026 after Iran threatened to shut down further vital shipping lanes, according to the news agency, which reported that Centcom had by that point already redirected two ships and disabled a third. Centcom's latest tally, covering the period up to 11 August 2026, shows the campaign has expanded substantially: the command says it has redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled three non-compliant ships and boarded two, describing the blockade as remaining fully operational.
The US and Iran have exchanged fire intermittently since a previous ceasefire collapsed in June. This pattern of escalation was evident in an earlier episode described in our coverage of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis trading fire while the US disabled a tanker near Hormuz, and in a separate incident detailed in our report on US strikes on Iran following attacks on three commercial tankers in the strait.
What else happened in the region on Tuesday?
In a separate development, Yemen's internationally recognised government said six people were killed and ten injured after Iran-backed Houthi forces struck a cargo ship in the Red Sea. The Houthis said the vessel had been carrying Saudi military equipment. The attack appears to be the first fatal Houthi strike on a ship since the war began.
What happens next?
No further diplomatic steps or scheduled talks were confirmed in relation to the Vela Nova incident. Centcom's statement reiterated that the blockade of Iranian ports remains in force, and the command's running total of intercepted vessels suggests enforcement activity is likely to continue.
- Centcom fired two Hellfire missiles from an MH-60 helicopter at the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova on Tuesday.
- The blockade of Iranian ports, first imposed after the war began on 28 February and reinstated on 15 July 2026, has now seen 55 vessels redirected, three disabled and two boarded as of 11 August 2026.
- Accounts differ on whether the missiles struck the ship's smokestack or its engine compartment and steering mechanism.
- A separate Houthi strike on a cargo ship in the Red Sea killed six people and injured ten, reportedly the group's first fatal attack on shipping since the war started.
