The US Navy shot out the rudder of an Iran blockade runner with a Super Hornet’s 20 mm cannon

• A US Navy fighter jet disabled the rudder of an Iranian-flagged tanker on Wednesday with its 20 mm cannon.
• The tanker was trying to bypass the blockade of Iran’s ports, the US military said.
• It’s the second time the US has used force against an Iranian commercial ship in recent weeks.

A US Navy fighter jet knocked out the rudder of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday using its 20 mm cannon, the American military said.

The incident is the second time that the Navy has used force to disable an Iranian commercial vessel since the Trump administration began its blockade of maritime traffic going in and out of Iranian ports last month.

US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said it observed the unladen tanker M/T Hasna as it transited international waters en route to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.

The ship “failed to comply” with repeated US military warnings that it was sailing in violation of the blockade, CENTCOM said. A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet that launched from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln fired several rounds from its 20 mm cannon gun into the Hasna’s rudder.

In addition to the missiles the carrier-based fighter jet is able to carry on the wings, the Super Hornet is armed with an internal 20 mm M61A2 six-barrel rotary cannon.

CENTCOM said that it disabled the tanker, which is “no longer transiting to Iran.” It added that the blockade of Iran’s ports “remains in full effect.”

Last month, a Navy destroyer fired nine inert rounds from its 5-inch deck gun into the engine room of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel trying to evade the blockade in the Arabian Sea. It marked a rare use of force by the Navy against a non-combat vessel.

The Navy destroyer, USS Spruance, intercepted the Iranian-flagged cargo boat M/V Touska, which was sailing toward Iran through the Arabian Sea at 17 knots. The Navy said that it issued several warnings, which the Touska ignored. The Spruance then ordered the evacuation of the engine room and opened fire.

The engagement disabled the vessel, which was subsequently boarded by Marines.

The US military operation against Iran, Operation Epic Fury, has concluded. The more recent focus has been on securing ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a new initiative called “Project Freedom,” though that was paused Wednesday as Washington and Tehran discuss a deal.

In recent days, US Navy vessels have been working to clear a path through the strait and establish a defensive umbrella for commercial ships to travel under. Iran has fired drones and missiles at commercial and military vessels in the area. The US has fended off threats and responded with force, including by using helicopters to sink Iranian small boats.