United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday released footage showing a US military strike that disabled the Botswana-flagged oil tanker M/T Lexie as it sailed towards Iran’s Kharg Island.
According to CENTCOM, the vessel ignored repeated warnings from US forces and continued moving toward the Iranian port before American forces intervened.
US shares footage of Hellfire missile strike
Posting the video online, CENTCOM said a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the tanker’s engine room, disabling the vessel and preventing it from reaching Kharg Island.
The command described the action as part of Washington’s broader maritime blockade measures targeting Iran-linked shipping activity.
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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also reposted the footage on X.
pic.twitter.com/X3Gx7bPjnL https://t.co/ysAR4tv1is
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) June 2, 2026
CENTCOM stated that the tanker was unladen at the time of the strike and had failed to comply with directions issued by US forces over a 24-hour period. According to the US military, multiple warnings were ignored before the aircraft carried out the operation.
The strike forms part of a wider maritime enforcement campaign launched on April 13. Under the operation, CENTCOM has been enforcing restrictions on commercial shipping linked to Iranian ports.
US military officials said more than 120 commercial vessels have so far been diverted during the operation, while several others have reportedly been disabled after allegedly refusing to comply with blockade measures.
Separate attack reported at Iraq port
In another development, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) confirmed that one of its container vessels, Sariska V, was attacked at Iraq’s Umm Qasr port on Monday after being struck by two projectiles.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had reported an attack on a commercial vessel in the area without naming the ship involved.
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed responsibility for the strike, alleging that the vessel had links to the United States. The group described the attack as retaliation for an earlier strike on an Iranian vessel near Oman.
MSC rejected the allegations and said the attack was “completely unjustified based on the allegations made by the IRGC since MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel".
The company also stated that MSC is headquartered in Switzerland and owned by Italian nationals.
