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2026-07-16 06:38:11
[US Military Damages Empty Oil Tanker Heading to Iranian Port] 1. On July 15, the US Central Command announced on social media that a US military aircraft fired a missile at an empty oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port, rendering it unable to navigate. 2. The attacked tanker was the Curaçao-flagged "Belma," which was sailing in international waters towards Kharg Island, Iran's oil export hub. The US military stated that the ship violated the US "blockade order" and ignored multiple warnings, after which a US military aircraft fired a Hellfire missile at it. 3. The US military resumed its maritime blockade of ships traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4:00 PM EST on July 14 (4:00 AM Beijing time on July 15). The Central Command stated that within 24 hours of implementing the blockade, the US military had forced two merchant ships to change course and rendered one "uncooperative" vessel unable to navigate.
