US forces fire on ship trying to cross through Strait of Hormuz blockade

A U.S. military helicopter fired on a merchant vessel trying to traverse the United States's Strait of Hormuz blockade, the first such instance in weeks.

The U.S. fired at the ship's rudder to disable it after the crew ignored multiple warnings to stop, a U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal. The ship appeared to be transferring its crew to another ship after the attack.

The predawn attack was flagged by the maritime security firm Vanguard, which identified the ship as the Vela Nova, and said it was hit by a missile about 71 nautical miles from the coast of Pakistan.