Published on: 2026-06-03
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Washington, June 2 /Sina/ — On Tuesday, American military forces intercepted an unladen oil tanker that was attempting to head towards the Iranian island of Kharg. This was reported by the United States Central Command /CENTCOM/.
An American military plane launched a “Hellfire” missile at the engine compartment of the tanker M/T Lexie under the flag of Botswana, as it was sailing through international waters heading towards a large Iranian oil port in the Persian Gulf, SENTCOM reported on the X social network.
“The ship’s crew ignored multiple warnings and for several hours repeatedly refused to comply with the instructions of the American troops,” the statement says.
Radio recordings received by CNN under exclusive conditions from a crew member of a commercial vessel stuck near the Strait of Hormuz confirmed the fact of an attack.
On one of the recordings, a warning from the American military can be heard: “This is a US plane. We are about to shell your engine compartment. Evacuate your engine compartment.”
Shortly thereafter, a distress signal was received: “Mayday, Mayday. Lexie motor tanker. Fire in the engine room, we are abandoning ship.”
It is not yet clear whether the attack resulted in casualties or injuries.
The tanker was included in the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list in March 2025 for its alleged involvement in trading Iranian oil.
On May 30, the United States-led Combined Maritime Forces stated in a notification that the restrictions imposed by the American military on Iranian ports remain in effect and that ships are prohibited from entering or leaving Iranian ports. –0–
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