The US military has fired missiles from a helicopter to disable the steering gear of a cargo ship attempting to breach the US blockade of Iranian ports. On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, US Central Command (Centcom) stated that its MH-60 aircraft launched two hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova as it tried to transit the Gulf of Oman. Centcom said it took action after the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces.

The US has been enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports following unsuccessful efforts to end the war initiated by the US and Israel on February 28, 2026. In response, Tehran has launched attacks on Israel and US-allied states across the Gulf and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas previously passed.

Centcom also noted on social media platform X that the M/V Vela Nova attempted to sail to an Iranian port, though it did not specify which one.

Separately, on the same day, Yemen's internationally recognised government reported that six people were killed and ten injured in strikes by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on a cargo ship in the Red Sea. The Houthis claimed they targeted a vessel carrying Saudi military equipment.

Sources