The U.S. military revealed that its navy attacked an empty oil tanker off the coast of Oman. The vessel was sanctioned by the U.S. at the end of last year and was heading toward an Iranian port.
On 8 Jun 2026 GMT+7, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the U.S. military carried out an attack on a ship subject to sanctions off the coast of Oman on Monday after the vessel attempted to proceed to an Iranian port.
"U.S. forces disabled an empty oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on 8 June after the vessel violated ongoing Iranian blockade measures by attempting to travel to an Iranian port," CENTCOM's statement said.
The ship, named MT Marivex, sails under the flag of Palau and is owned by Arihant Shipping Inc. It was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department last December due to its connections with various sanctions imposed on Iran.
Previously, the Indian Seafarers Union revealed that 24 Indian crew members aboard the ship were in danger. In a distress audio signal from the tanker, the crew reported a fire onboard and claimed it resulted from a "U.S. naval attack."
"There is a fire on our ship and it is sinking. The U.S. Navy attacked; a missile hit our engine room," said the distress audio obtained by CNN. "Please help, there is a fire on the ship... 24 crew members, all Indian."
Additionally, the distress signal indicated that one of the ship's lifeboats was also on fire.
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Source:cnn