US military turns away blockade runner trying to reach Iranian port

The US military says it fired a missile into the engine room of a vessel trying to get through the US blockade of Iran on Friday.

In a statement on Saturday, US Central Command said it fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Gambia-flagged Lian Star as it was, “transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.”

Before the attack, US forces issued “more than 20 warnings” informing the vessel it was in violation of the US blockade, according to Centcom.

Centcom said the ship was “no longer transiting to Iran” but did not provide any further detail.