US Attacks Ship in Gulf of Oman; New Iron Gate Task Force Targets Iran

The US military attacked a commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, accusing it of violating the naval blockade against Iran, and disabled it with precision-guided weapons. The vessel was identified as the St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged MV Huda. CENTCOM stated the ship had visited an Iranian port and was warned repeatedly before the strike, with crew instructed to abandon targeted areas. Since July, US forces have diverted 147 ships, disabled five, and destroyed ten tankers linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard. A new task force, Iron Gate, was formed on November 7 to block Iran's smuggling of weapons and goods via land and the Caspian Sea. The blockade has prevented over $25 billion in oil exports, amid escalating US-Iran tensions.