US military says it turned away blockade runner trying to reach Iranian port

The US military has announced that it fired a missile into the engine room of a vessel trying to get through the US blockade of Iran on Friday.

In a statement on Saturday, US Central Command said it fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Gambia-flagged Lian Star as it was "transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman."

Before the attack, US forces issued "more than 20 warnings" informing the vessel it was in violation of the US blockade, according to Centcom.

Centcom said the ship was "no longer transiting to Iran" but did not provide any further details.

Since the blockade started on April 13, the US military has "redirected" at least 115 ships, Centcom said on Friday.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the US military is ready to resume strikes on Iran if no deal is reached to end its war with the United States

The conflict has pushed up global energy prices as Iran has mostly closed the Strait of ​Hormuz.