US Fighter Jet Disables 2 Iranian Tankers in Blockade Enforcement Action: CENTCOM

The U.S. military said the fighter jet fired precision munitions into the smokestacks of the two tankers to prevent them from reaching an Iranian port.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet lands on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush on April 27, 2026. U.S. Navy photo

A U.S. fighter jet fired on a pair of crude oil tankers as they attempted to bypass a U.S. blockade on May 8.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, announced that a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet launched from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to intercept the two Iranian-flagged tankers, M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda. The tankers were unladen and sailing through the Gulf of Oman in an attempt to reach an Iranian port.