US claims responsibility for attack on neutral civilian ship

The US has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Panama-flagged cargo ship, the Vela Nova, in the Gulf of Oman. According to Middle East Eye, US Central Command says a Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the vessel's engine room after its civilian crew ignored repeated warnings, disabling it as it tried to reach an Iranian port in violation of a unilateral US blockade. No casualties were reported, and CENTCOM says this was one of sixty instances in which it has blocked ships attempting to cross the blockade.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton