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US fired on Panama-flagged ship that tried to break blockade of Iranian ports, WSJ reports citing US official

11 August 2026 17:12 (UTC +04:00)

A U.S. military helicopter fired at the rudder of a Panama-flagged ship after ‌its crew ignored warnings from personnel working to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports, the Wall Street Journal ⁠reported on Tuesday, citing a U.S. official.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the incident, the report said, adding that the ship appeared to be trying to transfer its crew ‌to ⁠another civilian vessel after the attack.

British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime security source said ⁠earlier that according to initial assessments, the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova ⁠was believed to have been hit by a missile ⁠when sailing through the Gulf of Oman.

Ilgar Khudiyev

United States Iran Gulf of Oman Vela Nova Panama-flagged ship U.S. military naval blockade military helicopter maritime security Wall Street Journal Vanguard