Nov 7 (Reuters) – An American military aircraft fired on and disabled a commercial vessel that tried to break the US blockade of Iran on Saturday, US Central Command said.
The St. Kitts-flagged cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port, and a US plane fired precision munitions at its stern after US forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces, Central Command said.
Building on a months-long naval blockade on Iran, the US military also said on Saturday it is launching a task force to crack down on Tehran’s movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned material over its land borders and through the Caspian Sea.
Central Command estimated that its naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil.
US President Donald Trump has been threatening to carry out a new offensive against Iran. Tehran has threatened broad retaliation against Gulf infrastructure, putting countries in the region on edge.
(Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Sergio Non)
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