UKMTO logged an incident involving a container ship and military forces in The Gulf of Oman at 07:15 UTC on 11 August, reported by the vessel's own master under Advisory 109-26, without establishing a cause at the time. CENTCOM later named the vessel as the Panamanian-flagged M/V Vela Nova and said a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into its engine room, disabling its steering gear, after the vessel ignored warnings and tried to evade the Iran-port blockade; CENTCOM's statement did not address crew casualties. The same day President Trump said the US 'totally controls' the strait of Hormuz, and IRGC spokesman Mohebbi claimed the US has no warship left in The Persian Gulf, a claim AP's same-day count of fifteen or more US warships and two aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea contradicts.
Washington's blockade of Iranian ports has moved from warnings and boardings to missiles fired into a civilian hull.
