The US military announced on Friday that it opened fire on an oil tanker that attempted to evade the American blockade imposed on Iranian ports.

Spokesman for the US Central Command, Captain Tim Hawkins, said the ship's crew attempted to breach the blockade four times despite receiving repeated warnings.

Hawkins explained that US forces disabled the tanker after targeting the engine room, confirming that the action came after the crew refused to comply with instructions, necessitating intervention to prevent the ship from continuing its attempts to break the blockade.