The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that another oil tanker linked to Iran has been disabled near the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the total number of such vessels stopped by U.S. forces in recent days to six.
According to sea-news.az cited by Seanews.az, the unflagged tanker “Lexie” was en route to Kharg Island, one of Iran’s key oil export terminals. CENTCOM stated that the vessel was issued multiple stop orders within a 24-hour period, which were ignored by the crew.
Following non-compliance, a U.S. military aircraft reportedly struck the vessel’s engine compartment with a “Hellfire” precision-guided missile, rendering the tanker inoperable.
The vessel, built in 2001 with a carrying capacity of approximately 300,000 tons, had previously been sanctioned by the United States due to its alleged involvement in Iran’s oil trade. AIS tracking data indicates that the tanker had operated with its transponder turned off for most of the past three months.
