US forces disable cargo ship in Gulf of Oman; Iran reports two tankers hit mines

US Central Command said on Saturday that a military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged cargo vessel MV Huda in the Gulf of Oman, disabling the ship after its crew "ignored repeated warnings" and attempted to "violate" the naval blockade of Iran.

CENTCOM said the vessel had tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port. Forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces before the strike. The UAE National Guard announced early Sunday that 22 people had been rescued from the ship.

Since July, US forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied with the blockade and disabled five merchant ships that refused, according to CENTCOM. The command added that it had previously destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers it identified as part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' "multibillion-dollar shadow network".

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces approximately 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy claimed simultaneously that two oil tankers — one east of the Strait of Hormuz and one inside the waterway — caught fire after striking mines. The IRGC said both vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and were using an "unauthorised" route. "After hitting a mine, they exploded and are burning," the Guards stated, warning that any vessel cooperating with US forces or disobeying Iranian regulations for the strait "will inevitably hit a mine".

The escalation follows reports of explosions on Qeshm Island on Friday night. US President Donald Trump subsequently confirmed that US forces had targeted an Iranian air defence system. Iranian news agencies reported further explosions on Saturday night at Qeshm, Sirik, Jask and Bandar Abbas.