US Central Command said Saturday it disabled the St Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo vessel M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach the US naval blockade of Iran. A military aircraft fired precision munitions at the vessel’s stern after crew members were directed to abandon targeted spaces, CENTCOM said, marking the 11th merchant vessel disabled since the blockade began in July.
Hours earlier, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper ordered the creation of Task Force Iron Gate, a roughly 20-person unit based in Tampa, Florida, tasked with disrupting the flow of weapons and sanctioned materials across Iran’s land borders, including routes through the Caspian Sea. The announcement extends Washington’s enforcement campaign against Tehran from sea lanes onto overland trade corridors.
Strike on the Huda
CENTCOM alleged the Huda had visited an Iranian port and was attempting to depart regional waters when it ignored blockade warnings. A US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the vessel, which disabled the ship after its crew was directed to abandon targeted spaces. CENTCOM did not report casualties from the strike.
The agency said the action was part of a broader enforcement pattern in which forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied with blockade warnings and disabled merchant ships whose crews refused to comply. CENTCOM reiterated that all mariners transiting near Iranian coastal waters should heed blockade warnings from US forces, underscoring the continued risk to commercial shipping operating near Iranian ports.
Task Force Iron Gate
Admiral Cooper directed the formation of Task Force Iron Gate on November 7, describing it as a reinforcement of what he called an ‘ironclad blockade’ against Iran at sea. The unit, based in Tampa, will coordinate with other US government agencies to prevent the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea.
Cooper said closer cooperation between CENTCOM and interagency partners would further constrain Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories and replenish its military. CENTCOM stated the existing naval blockade has already prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion worth of crude oil in recent months, a figure cited by the command as evidence the maritime campaign is working.
Blockade Timeline
The US naval blockade of Iran was first imposed following the collapse of the Islamabad Talks aimed at ending the 2026 Iran war. The measure was briefly lifted in June before President Trump ordered its reinstatement in July, with CENTCOM confirming enforcement resumed that month. Since then, the blockade has repeatedly intersected with a wave of attacks on commercial tankers and cargo vessels across the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and wider Persian Gulf.
UK Maritime Trade Operations has issued a string of advisories this autumn describing unidentified projectile strikes on outbound tankers, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy has separately claimed to have mined vessels attempting what it calls unauthorized transits. The expansion of US enforcement to land routes via Task Force Iron Gate signals Washington’s intent to widen pressure on Iran’s supply chains beyond the maritime domain alone.
Why it matters
The disabling of the Huda and the creation of Task Force Iron Gate mark a further escalation of US enforcement against Iran that directly affects commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, among the world’s most critical energy corridors. Shipowners and charterers face heightened risk of interdiction, cargo diversion and insurance costs for vessels with any itinerary touching Iranian ports, compounding an already volatile security environment driven by missile and drone strikes on tankers. The extension of enforcement to land and Caspian Sea routes suggests the campaign against Iran’s trade networks, including its shadow fleet, is likely to intensify rather than ease in the near term.
Source: Stars and Stripes
