US forces strike Panamanian vessel in Gulf of Oman over alleged breach of blockade on Iran - report

US Central Command troops fired a missile from a helicopter at the rudder of the Panamanian-flagged container ship Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday morning, reportedly for attempting to bypass the US embargo on Iranian ports. The crew was transferred to another vessel, with no casualties reported. The incident occurs amid stalled US-Iran peace talks, though Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Bloomberg that a deal is nearing. Separately, Iran-backed Houthis reportedly killed three crew members of a Tanzanian-flagged ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

American forces fired at a Panama-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday morning, reportedly for attempting to bypass the US embargo on Iranian ports. US Central Command troops launched a missile from a helicopter at the rudder of the Vela Nova, a Panamanian-flagged container ship. The US official told the Wall Street Journal that the crew was transferred to another vessel after the attack, with no casualties or injuries reported, and all crew members were accounted for. Maritime security firm Vanguard claimed the missile struck the vessel, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished. The incident comes as the US and Iran remain at a standstill over peace talks to end the American blockade of Iranian ports and create a broader ceasefire. However, as of Tuesday, the two sides were reportedly nearing a deal, according to Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who told Bloomberg News that signals in the last two or three days suggest they are close to an arrangement. US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering declaring victory against Iran without achieving a nuclear deal, and if Iran's nuclear program is kept in check and traffic resumes in the Strait of Hormuz, he would be more likely to extend the ceasefire indefinitely. Separately, Iran-backed Houthis reportedly killed three crew members of a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with two Pakistanis and one Indonesian killed. The Houthis have not claimed the attack, but two Yemeni coast guard sources and two military officials confirmed it to Reuters. If confirmed, these would be the first deaths in a Houthi strike on a ship since the conflict began.