The US Central Command said in a post on platform X on Wednesday that the US military disrupted an empty oil tanker that was attempting to sail towards an Iranian port.

It added, "The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings while attempting to violate the US blockade... A US aircraft disabled the ship after firing Hellfire missiles at its smokestack. The ship is no longer heading to Iran."

The United States imposes a blockade on Iranian ports, preventing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to and from Iranian ports as part of pressure on Tehran to stop its disruption of navigation in the waterway.