U.S. forces disabled a Palau-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on June 8 after the vessel attempted to breach the ongoing American blockade against Iran, U.S. Central Command announced.

The vessel, identified as the M/T Marivex, was transiting international waters toward an Iranian port when U.S. forces ordered it to stop. After the crew failed to comply with those directions, an F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition into the ship’s engineering and steering spaces, disabling the tanker. CENTCOM confirmed the Marivex is no longer en route to Iran. The ship was unladen at the time of the incident, meaning it carried no oil cargo.

The strike marks the latest enforcement action under a naval blockade the United States initiated on April 13. Since that date, CENTCOM forces have disabled seven non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that chose to comply with U.S. directions, and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass without interference.

The Gulf of Oman sits at a strategically critical chokepoint connecting the Arabian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply flows. The waterway has long been a flashpoint for tensions between the United States and Iran, and American naval assets have maintained a persistent presence in the region for decades. The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, serves as the centerpiece of the carrier strike group enforcing the blockade in the area.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine multirole fighter jet operated by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, capable of both air-to-air combat and precision strike missions. Its use in a maritime interdiction operation of this kind reflects the military’s ability to project force from carrier-based platforms against surface targets with a high degree of accuracy. Targeting the engineering and steering spaces of a vessel is a deliberate tactic designed to immobilize a ship without sinking it, preserving the hull and crew while neutralizing the vessel’s ability to continue its course.

Palau-flagged vessels are registered under the Pacific island nation’s flag of convenience, a common practice in international shipping that allows ship owners to register their vessels in countries with favorable regulatory and tax environments. The flag of registry does not necessarily indicate the nationality of the vessel’s owner or operator.

The blockade represents a significant escalation in American pressure on Iran, cutting off a key avenue for the country to receive or export goods by sea. The policy of redirecting compliant vessels while disabling those that refuse suggests a tiered enforcement approach aimed at maximizing compliance while managing the risk of broader confrontation. The 134 ships that have been successfully redirected since April 13 represent the large majority of vessels that have encountered the blockade, indicating that most crews have chosen not to test U.S. resolve. The Marivex crew’s refusal to comply placed the ship among a much smaller group that has faced direct military action.

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