Published
Jun 02, 2026 at 06:05 PM EDT
updated
Jun 03, 2026 at 02:44 AM EDT
News Editor
The U.S. military says it fired a Hellfire missile against a Botswana-flagged oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on Tuesday and conducted “self-defense” strikes on Qeshm Island, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
In a post on X, CENTCOM said, “U.S. forces disabled an unladen oil tanker that was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on the Arabian Gulf, June 2. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island. The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period.”
The post added that, “A U.S. aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran. CENTCOM began implementing the blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13. U.S. forces have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 as the ceasefire with Iran continues.”
In a follow-up post hours later, CENTCOM said in part that forces “successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones” and conducted the strikes on Qeshm Island on an Iranian military ground control station in what it called a response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East on Tuesday.
The post from CENTCOM later read in part that, “Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces. Moments earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island.”
No U.S. personnel were harmed, CENTCOM says, while adding that troops are ready to defend against unwanted Iranian aggression amid the ceasefire in place.
The strikes come as President Donald Trump touts ongoing talks with Iran. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said that he told Iran, “It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!”
The U.S. also conducted strikes against Iran last week, targeting their one-way attack drones and, following earlier “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian vessels trying to establish mines.
View this post on X
When asked about the strikes last week and if they jeopardize a deal, Rajan Menon, professor emeritus of International Relations at the City College of New York, previously told Newsweek, “I think the window for reaching a deal is closing rapidly. Trump is encountering severe blowback from those who think he’s about to sign a deal on Iran’s terms. He’s therefore signaling to Iran that it could face renewed war if it doesn’t offer better terms. Iran, for its part, believes that time is on its side given the steep price increases created by a war that the majority of Americans now oppose as well as Trump’s plummeting approval ratings.”
“The situation now resembles a game of chicken: each side is racing full speed ahead, hoping that the other will swerve first to avoid a collision,” Menon continued. “The result could well be a collision—meaning a return to war. That outcome is not inevitable, but it is becoming much more likely.”
A video displaying the moment the missile struck the tanker was also posted by CENTCOM on X.
In the video, the missile can be seen heading in the direction of the oil tanker, then strike it, triggering a plume of smoke.
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