US Central Command says 134 ships redirected, 8 tankers stopped in Iran blockade

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said a U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the engine room of the Palau-flagged oil tanker Sitipello in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel repeatedly failed to follow instructions. The tanker was stopped during enforcement of the blockade, according to the command. CENTCOM said that since the operation began on April 13, eight vessels have been neutralized for violations, 134 ships have been redirected, and 42 humanitarian aid vessels have been allowed to pass. The command did not specify the nationalities of the vessels involved. Separately, CENTCOM said it carried out defensive airstrikes against Iran earlier in the day, targeting air defense facilities, ground control stations and surveillance radars near the Strait of Hormuz. It said the strikes were carried out in response to an Iranian shootdown of a U.S. Apache helicopter.