United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has stated that U.S. forces disabled multiple Iranian-flagged oil tankers attempting to reach ports in the Gulf of Oman in violation of what it described as an ongoing blockade.

Axar.az reports, citing CENTCOM, on May 8 U.S. forces disabled the tankers “Sea Star III” and “Sevda” before they entered an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.

CENTCOM said a F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush fired precision munitions into the tankers’ smokestacks, rendering them inoperable and preventing their entry into Iran.

The command also reported that on May 6, a separate USS Abraham Lincoln-based F/A-18 disabled the tanker “Hasna” by targeting its rudder with 20mm cannon fire.

CENTCOM stated that all three vessels are no longer transiting toward Iran and added that multiple other commercial ships have been redirected as part of enforcement operations.

No independent verification of the incidents has been provided.