US forces hit tankers trying to break Iran blockade as military says embargo has stalled 70 ships

WASHINGTON — The US military launched a new series of airstrikes Friday, targeting a group of empty tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that were trying to barrel through the blockade of Iranian ports, according to US Central Command.

A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet struck two empty Iranian tankers that were attempting to break past the American blockade on Tehran’s ports, disabling them both “after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks,” CENTCOM said in a post to X.

The ships — known as the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda — were attempting to breach the blockade to reach an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.

The US military launched a new series of airstrikes on Friday, targeting a group of empty tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command

The strikes successfully prevented from reaching the port, as video showed thick, black smoke rising from the hulking vessels after the strikes.

A third ship was also stopped when an F/A Super Hornet “disabled the unladen oil tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun,” the combatant command said.

The US has roughly 15,000 troops enforcing the blockade, which took effect on April 13.

CENTCOM revealed in a separate post to X on Friday that “[t]here are currently more than 70 tankers that US forces are preventing from entering or leaving Iranian ports.

“These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus.”

A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet struck two empty Iranian tankers that were attempting to break past the American blockade on Tehran’s ports. US Central Command The ships — known as the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda — were attempting to breach the blockade to reach an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, according to reports. US Central Command

CENTCOM and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Analysts have warned that high tensions over the blockade could accidentally trigger a return to full-scale war.

However, the US has avoided formally ending the ongoing cease-fire with Iran despite multiple skirmishes in recent days, including American retaliatory strikes Thursday evening that President Trump downplayed as “love taps” after Tehran targeted three US warships in the strait.

It’s not only US vessels that have been under Iranian attack as Tehran continues to consider the strait closed and under its sovereignty.

An F/A-18 fighter jet lands aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. U.S. Central Command

On Monday, Iran attacked a Chinese-owned oil products tanker near the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates coast. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Friday acknowledged the attack, noting that Beijing would “continue working with the international community to promote peace talks and deescalation.”

“China is deeply concerned that a large number of vessels along with their crew have been caught in the conflict and stranded in the strait,” he said. “We believe it is in the common interest of regional countries and the international community to resume unimpeded passage through the strait as soon as possible and ensure the safety of civilian vessels and crew members.”

On Friday, Iran seized a Barbados-flagged tanker — sanctioned by the US — that was carrying Iranian oil in the Gulf of Oman, the Islamic Republic’s army said Friday.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115). US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images

The ship, called the Ocean Koi, was stopped and forced back to the southern coast of Iran following an alleged attempt to “harm and disrupt oil exports … by exploiting regional conditions,” Tehran’s military said.

The US on Monday launched a short-lived mission, Project Freedom, to escort ships through the strait, but President Trump called it off on Tuesday following requests by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and “other countries” because “great progress” had been made toward a peace agreement.

“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote at the time on Truth Social.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio further warned Friday that any ships targeting American vessels will “get blown up” as tensions simmer in the Strait of Hormuz. AP

While the cease-fire remained in effect on Friday, so too did the blockade, which CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the US would continue to enforce.

“US forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” he said in a statement. “Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned Friday that any ships targeting American vessels will “get blown up” as tensions simmer in the Strait of Hormuz and the US waits on Iran to respond to its proposed framework to end the war.