CENTCOM Confirms Attack on Ship Bound for Iran
The United States Central Command, CENTCOM, officially took responsibility for the attack on the commercial ship Vela Nova, flying the Panamanian flag, and released new details about the operation.
CENTCOM announced that a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the ship’s engine room after the crew ignored repeated warnings, disabling the ship’s navigation system.
According to CENTCOM, the ship intended to violate the U.S. naval blockade against Iran by heading towards one of Iran’s ports, and after the attack, it is no longer moving towards Iran.
CENTCOM also announced that by August 11, it had redirected 55 commercial ships that attempted to breach the blockade, disabled three ships, and seized two others.

