US confirms attacking Omani oil tanker in Gulf of Oman
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US military forces have disabled an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel defied an ongoing maritime blockade and attempted to sail directly into an Iranian port, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on June 8.
The high-seas interception marks a significant escalation in Washington's enforcement of the naval blockade against Iran, which has been aggressively maintained by US and allied forces in the region since mid-April.
According to a CENTCOM statement released from its operational headquarters in Tampa, the Palau-flagged tanker, identified as the M/T Marivex, was intercepted while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman.
When the tanker's crew repeatedly failed to comply with radioed instructions and maneuvers ordered by US naval forces, commanders authorized a kinetic strike to physically halt the vessel.
An F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, deployed from the nearby aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), fired a single precision-guided munition directly into the Marivex’s engineering and steering spaces. The surgical strike successfully neutralized the tanker's propulsion systems without sinking the vessel.
"The Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran," CENTCOM confirmed in its official release, indicating that the ship has been safely immobilized.
Blockade by numbers
The interception highlights the intense, multi-month naval operation aimed at entirely cutting off Iran's maritime trade corridors.
Defense officials released updated operational figures detailing the scale of the enforcement campaign since the blockade was first initiated on April 13:
- 42 vessels Allowed Passage (Verified Humanitarian Aid)
- 134 Vessels Redirected (Complied with US Orders)
- 7 vessels Disabled (Non-Compliant/Forcibly Halted)
US defense officials reiterated that while legitimate humanitarian shipments are thoroughly vetted and permitted to pass through the corridor, any commercial vessels attempting to violate the blockade to service Iranian ports will face immediate interception and potentially destructive force if they refuse to turn back.
