US Fighter Jet Disables Panama-Flagged Cargo Vessel Attempting to Run Iran Blockade in Gulf of Oman

A U.S. military fighter jet struck the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica, also known as Arika Sun, with a precision munition on October 10, fully disabling the ship's propulsion without harming the crew, according to U.S. Central Command. CENTCOM stated the cargo vessel had ignored repeated warnings and attempted to transit regional waters after departing an Iranian port. The strike occurred in the Gulf of Oman as part of the U.S. naval blockade against Iran, which resumed on July 14, 2026.

CENTCOM reported that during three months of enforcement, U.S. forces have disabled four commercial vessels and turned around 135 ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports. Additionally, U.S. forces destroyed 10 tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' shadow network over the same period. CENTCOM warned mariners in the Gulf of Oman and approaches to the Strait of Hormuz to heed blockade warnings, monitor notice-to-mariners broadcasts, and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16. The blockade was initially imposed in April 2026, temporarily lifted following a U.S.-Iran agreement in June, then reinstated in July.

Vessels attempting to trade with Iran face the risk of being disabled by U.S. forces. At least 11 commercial ships were attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz since early October, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations, though the sources do not specify who carried out those attacks or whether they targeted vessels complying with the blockade.

Sources

Al Jazeera, October 11, 2026, "US forces disable ship 'attempting to run' Iran blockade in Gulf of Oman", aljazeera.com U.S. Central Command via X, October 11, 2026, "U.S. Forces Disable Cargo Vessel Attempting to Violate Blockade", x.com Newcastle Herald (Australia), October 11, 2026, "US strikes cargo vessel trying to run Iran blockade", newcastleherald.com.au Times of Israel liveblog, October 11, 2026, "US military says it disabled cargo vessel trying to bypass Iran blockade", timesofisrael.com Sunday Guardian Live, October 10, 2026, "US-Israel-Iran War Latest Live News: IRGC Claims 'Massive Supertanker' Hit Naval Mine in Strait of Hormuz", sundayguardianlive.com