US Fires on Ship Breaking Iran Blockade as Trump Claims Control of Hormuz

United States military forces disabled a Panama-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel attempted to breach an active naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to reports from U.S. The maritime confrontation in a critical energy transit zone coincides with sharply conflicting claims between Washington and Tehran over management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Strait of Hormuz Control Disputed by Tehran

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime chokepoint through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas moves during peacetime, has become a primary flashpoint following the onset of U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran in late February, according to reporting by Al Jazeera. Commercial shipping in the corridor remains severely restricted as blockades persist on both sides.

President Donald Trump asserted during a Tuesday press briefing at Joint Base Andrews that Washington holds total authority over the passage. “We totally control the Strait of Hormuz. We have control over it; nobody else, only us,” Trump told reporters, according to Al Jazeera.

Tehran immediately rejected that assertion. Mohsen Rezaie, the newly appointed head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told China’s ambassador to Tehran, Cong Peiwu, that the waterway will stay closed until the United States alters its posture, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. “As long as America does not change its behaviour and does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened,” Rezaie stated, as reported by Al Jazeera. Rezaie also demanded an end to the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports and a comprehensive regional ceasefire covering Gaza and Lebanon.

U.S. Military Action Against Blockade Runners

Amid the diplomatic standoff, active kinetic engagements continue at sea. A U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged cargo ship M/V Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman, according to U.S. The vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings before military forces targeted its engine room and disabled its steering gear. U.S. officials reported no casualties among the crew.

Data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations indicates that commercial vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below normal volumes, with ongoing reports of harassment and military interdiction. Iran maintains that it is currently engaged in limited talks solely with Oman—whose territorial waters also encompass parts of the strait—regarding the future management of the passage.

Escalation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait

The maritime conflict has expanded beyond the Persian Gulf toward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, where regional shipping faces separate threats. Yemeni authorities reported that six people were killed in a Houthi attack on an Egyptian-owned cargo vessel, the Tihamah, in what officials describe as the first fatalities from Houthi strikes on shipping since the outbreak of the current war, according to Al Jazeera.

Four crew members aboard the Tihamah and two Yemeni rescuers responding to the incident died in the attack, while ten others sustained injuries. Houthi-affiliated media subsequently claimed the vessel was transporting Saudi military equipment. In response to mounting security risks in the southern corridor, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a new maritime security alliance aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint, where approximately 11 percent of global oil and 8 percent of liquefied natural gas trade normally passes.