American Forces Target Iranian-Bound Tanker Amid Renewed Gulf Blockade

US strikes oil tanker with missiles – Recent military video footage has captured the moment American forces engaged an oil tanker navigating through the Gulf region. According to official statements, the vessel was making its way toward Iran’s primary oil export hub as Washington moved to reinstate restrictions on Iranian maritime access. The United States Central Command issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that the tanker, identified as Belma, failed to heed several warnings before an aircraft launched Hellfire missiles directly into the vessel’s smokestack, effectively disabling it.

President Donald Trump announced the restoration of the Iranian port blockade on Tuesday, citing a sequence of purported Iranian assaults against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This action followed several days of reciprocal military exchanges between the two nations. Prior to this development, the President had declared that a ceasefire agreement was no longer in effect after a period of intensifying hostilities.

Historical Context of the Maritime Restrictions

A naval blockade restricting access to Iranian ports previously operated from April 13 through June 18. During that earlier period, American forces reportedly redirected more than 140 commercial vessels and disabled nine ships that violated the restrictions. Both the blockade and significant American sanctions targeting Iranian petroleum exports were suspended as part of a ceasefire agreement finalized on June 17.

Industry experts have calculated that Tehran managed to export a minimum of 74 million barrels of crude oil, valued at approximately $6 billion, before these restrictions were reinstated. The temporary relaxation of sanctions included a special license permitting Iranian oil sales and dollar-denominated payments to Tehran.

Details of the Latest Engagement

Beyond the Belma incident, Central Command reported that two additional commercial vessels successfully complied with American instructions to alter their navigation paths. Ship-tracking information from MarineTraffic indicates that Belma, which had previously faced American sanctions under an alternative name due to its connections with Iran, entered the Gulf on Tuesday after transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The vessel was reportedly carrying no cargo and transmitted its final position approximately 100 kilometers southeast of Kharg Island on Thursday. Meanwhile, another crude oil tanker subject to American sanctions for Iranian ties reversed its trajectory on Thursday, heading back toward Iranian waters in the Gulf of Oman. Ship tracking records show this vessel, identified as Fuyao, was originally listed as traveling to Pakistan with an oil cargo.

Impact on Regional Trade

Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that following the ceasefire, Iranian oil sales reached prices roughly 20 percent above pre-conflict levels. Analysts from the advocacy organization United Against Nuclear Iran alongside shipping specialists at TankerTrackers.com have estimated that Iran exported at least 74 million barrels between the blockade’s conclusion and its restart.

The American government recently tightened this license following Iranian attacks on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Crossings through this vital waterway have declined significantly over the past week, remaining well below the pre-conflict average of 138 daily transits. Preliminary data from maritime intelligence company Kpler shows only 11 fuel tankers and cargo vessels navigated the Strait on Wednesday, compared to 17 on Monday and 16 on Tuesday.

The US has attacked an oil tanker in the Gulf, which it said was heading towards Iran’s largest oil export terminal, as it reimposed a blockade of Iranian ports.

Additional reporting contributed by Libby Rogers and Shruti Menon.