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Associated Press

A US helicopter on Tuesday fired missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran’s ports, the United States military said.
The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova “after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces”, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media, adding that the vessel “is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade”.
It was initially unclear whether there were any casualties.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) earlier reported an incident in the Gulf of Oman involving “a container ship and military forces”, without providing further details.
It was the third time the United States, in a months-long war against Iran, had forcibly halted a vessel since reinstating the ports blockade on July 14.
CENTCOM said it had redirected 55 ships that tried to run the blockade and boarded two others as of Tuesday.
US forces previously blockaded Iranian ports from April 13 to June 18, during which time they disabled nine ships and redirected more than 140, according to CENTCOM.
Iran has demanded that the United States end the ports blockade as part of its conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for oil and gas shipments before the war that has seen traffic plummet due to Tehran’s attacks on ships in the area.


Also on Tuesday, six people were killed by Houthis firing missiles on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities said.
Yemen’s coastguard said the dead included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces. Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni commercial vessel, according to the transport ministry of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab country.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.
The deadly vessel strike came amid Houthi attacks on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other areas of the country. Dozens of government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to the Yemeni military.
The strikes are part of an escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, accused Saudi Arabia in a social media post of exploiting the ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade it imposed in 2015.
He said the Houthis are open for negotiations but any settlement must include lifting the blockade.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Tuesday the country had “astonished the whole world” in the war against the United States and Israel, proving “that it is a tough and invincible power”.
Iran has refused to back down on demands that the US end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift sanctions on the Islamic Republic and fulfil other conditions before Tehran will consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran effectively closed the strait after Israel and the US attacked the country on February 28. Attacks on the key waterway – through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war – and uncertainty around its future have kept energy prices a major focus of US politics ahead of November’s midterm elections.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday in an Oval Office exchange with reporters that the US Navy’s blockade is preventing Iran from selling its oil on the international market, effectively choking the Iranian economy.
“Yeah, they can make trouble,” Trump said, “but they’re broke.”
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled on Tuesday to Tehran for meetings with Iran’s foreign minister and other officials.
Naqvi’s visit aimed to encourage Iran to resume negotiations with the United States under an interim peace deal brokered by Pakistan in June, two officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted photos from his meeting with Naqvi on his private Telegram channel.
It is Naqvi’s sixth trip to Iran as part of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the US.
Additional reporting by dpa


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The Panama-flagged container ship M/V Vela Nova. On Tuesday, the US Navy said it had fired on the ship after it attempted to break the US blockade of Iran’s ports. Photo: Vladimir Tonic / Handout via Reuters

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) shakes hands with Pakistan’s Minister of Interior Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi during their meeting in Tehran on Tuesday. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry / AFP

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Vehicles drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Iran on Sunday. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the agreement with Oman would not imply reopening the Strait of Hormuz without the United States accepting the Iranian proposals.  Photo: EPA

Motorcyclists drive past Iranian missiles on display above a banner depicting US President Trump at Azadi Square in Tehran on July 30. Photo: EPA

A satellite image shows trail of smoke rising from an oil facility in Jazan province, Saudi Arabia, on July 26. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said that they carried out operations targeting Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. Photo: Handout via Reuters

Black smoke rises following explosions near a military base hosting US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil in July. Photo: AP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that peace negotiations with the US were at a standstill. Photo: Reuters 

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US President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16. Photo: Getty Images

Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman’s port city of Khasab on May 17. Photo:AFP

Houthi supporters shout slogans during an anti-Saudi rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Servicemen fold an American flag during the funeral service for Isabella Gonzales, who was killed in an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Baghdad, Iraq on June 28. Photo: Reuters

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A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command


A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command.


US military says it has fired on ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce blockade of Iranian ports

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command

A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command