US aircraft strikes Huda cargo ship in Gulf of Oman
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bénin Web TV
A US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the M/V Huda bulk carrier after it left an Iranian port, according to the US Central Command (Centcom). Washington says the vessel was attempting to breach its maritime blockade of Iran and says it has diverted 147 commercial vessels since July, according to Centcom.
The US Central Command (Centcom) says it fired precision munitions at the stern of the M/V Huda bulk carrier, which was immobilised on Saturday 7 November in the Gulf of Oman after leaving an Iranian port. The vessel, flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, had allegedly attempted several times to breach the maritime blockade imposed by Washington despite repeated US warnings, according to Centcom.
US forces said they had asked the civilian crew to leave the areas that were to be targeted before the strike. The Huda is 159 metres long, was built in 1999 and is operated under Turkish management, according to The Maritime Executive. The UKMTO, a British maritime monitoring organisation, located it about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates.
Centcom says it has diverted 147 commercial vessels that complied with its warnings since July and immobilised five vessels that refused to comply with the blockade. It also claims to have destroyed 10 Iranian tankers that it describes as linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ commercial network.
The immobilisation of the Huda is the first announced by US forces since the 10 October strike on the Ocean Molica bulk carrier, also in the Gulf of Oman. On 7 November, Centcom also announced the creation of the “Iron Gate” task force to monitor land routes and Caspian Sea waterways used to transport weapons and equipment under US sanctions. The initiative is part of the strengthening of the US system against Iranian networks, already mentioned in the creation of a 20-agent force against Iranian networks.
