The US military opened fire on an oil tanker sailing towards Iran. Fortunately, 24 Indian crew members were safe

The US military said that an empty oil tanker attempted to violate the US blockade against Iran and head towards an Iranian port. The US forces opened fire on the tanker, rendering it unable to navigate.

Reuters reported that on Monday (June 8th), the US Central Command issued a statement on its official X account, saying that the "M/T Marivex" oil tanker, which was flying the flag of Palau, was sailing in the international waters of the Arabian Gulf and heading for Iran at that time.

The statement indicates that the oil tanker has stopped heading for Iran.

On the other hand, the Indian Shipping Department stated that the oil tanker was carrying 24 Indian crew members and noted that the tanker had reported a fire incident, but all the crew members were safe.

The head of the Federal Ports and Shipping Department, Sharma, said at a press conference: "We are coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our Indian missions abroad, the Indian Navy and the Ministry of Defence to ensure the safety of the crew." He had previously confirmed that the MV Mariveks oil tanker was registered in Madagascar.

Xinhua News Agency quoted sources as saying that this oil tanker "violated the US blockade order" and was sailing towards Iran through the international waters of the Gulf of Oman at that time. The crew refused to follow the instructions of the US military. A F/A-18 "Super Hornet" fighter jet from the US aircraft carrier "Lincoln" fired precision-guided weapons at the oil tanker, rendering it unable to navigate.

The US Central Command stated that since the maritime traffic in Iranian ports was blocked on April 13th, the US military has rendered seven merchant ships unable to navigate and forced 134 vessels to change their course.