CENTCOM fired a Hellfire missile into its engine room in the Gulf of Oman on 29-30 May 2026 after the crew ignored over 20 blockade warnings. The ship was disabled but not seized; the crew remained aboard the powerless vessel.

Why did the US fire a missile at the Lian Star?

The Gambian-flagged bulk carrier repeatedly ignored US naval blockade warnings during the Hormuz operation. After more than 20 warnings, CENTCOM used a Hellfire missile to disable its propulsion rather than attempt a boarding.

Is the Lian Star the first ship disabled by a US missile in the Iran blockade?

Yes. The Lian Star was the first commercial hull to have its propulsion destroyed by munition during the blockade. Previous enforcement used boarding parties or redirections, not kinetic strikes on propulsion systems.

Background

The M/V Lian Star became the most dramatic escalation in the US naval blockade of Iranian oil exports when CENTCOM fired a Hellfire missile into its engine room on approximately 29-30 May 2026, disabling the vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The crew had ignored more than 20 blockade warnings before the strike. The ship was disabled but not seized; its civilian crew remained aboard a powerless hull. CENTCOM's cumulative vessel redirection count reached 116 with the Lian Star incident.

The Lian Star is a bulk carrier sailing under a Gambian flag of convenience, a common practice that obscures the vessel's beneficial ownership and trading routes. Gambia is a signatory to international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, though Gambian-flagged vessels have repeatedly appeared in the Iran-linked shadow fleet attempting to circumvent sanctions.

The strike marked the first time the Hormuz blockade destroyed a commercial vessel's propulsion by munition rather than by boarding or redirecting. The incident sharply raised the legal and diplomatic stakes of the naval operation, setting a precedent for kinetic enforcement against non-compliant commercial hulls and drawing international scrutiny over the rules of engagement applied to civilian shipping.

More questions

Where was the Lian Star when it was hit?

The vessel was in the Gulf of Oman when CENTCOM struck its engine room on approximately 29-30 May 2026.

Source Material

Maritime Security — International Maritime Organization US Central Command

How the World Sees Them

Kuwait

repeated heinous Iranian aggressions

Leave our region if you want to be safe.

Russia

Iran's ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz is equivalent to possession of a nuclear weapon

United States

a day of very good meetings

Iran

on the wrong side of history

International Atomic Energy Agency

not observed or confirmed any direct attack

Iran / Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

the era of bullying and extortion is over, we don't fold