US fired on Panama-flagged ship that tried to break blockade of Iranian ports, WSJ reports citing US official

A U.S. military ​helicopter fired ​at the rudder of ​a Panama-flagged ship after its crew ignored warnings from personnel ‌working to ⁠enforce ⁠a naval blockade on ​Iranian ports, the Wall Street Journal ​reported on Tuesday, citing a U.S. official.

There were no ​immediate reports of ⁠casualties from ‌the incident, ​the ​report said, adding that ⁠the ship appeared to be ​trying to transfer its ​crew to another civilian vessel after the attack.

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British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime ‌security source said earlier that according to ​initial ​assessments, the ⁠Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was believed to have been hit ​by a missile when sailing through the Gulf of Oman.