A US fighter jet disabled a Panama-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman after its crew ignored warnings and tried to run America’s naval blockade of Iran. Meanwhile, tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz have hit their highest level since the war began — and India has formally condemned the strikes.
Updated: October 13, 2026, 10:30 IST
Quick Read
- US Central Command says a fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged MV Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman, disabling it without hurting the crew. Four ships have been disabled and 135 turned back since mid-July.
- Attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz hit a wartime high last week, with at least a dozen ships targeted, according to maritime security sources cited by Reuters.
- India condemned the vessel attacks: two Indian seafarers are still missing from the drone-hit tanker MT Petro Dolphin, and 11 Indians on MT Valthera are safe.
On October 11, a US fighter jet fired a precision munition at the stern of a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The ship stopped dead in the water. Around the same time, Iran was blamed for attacks on three tankers near Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
The ship the US stopped
The vessel is the Panama-flagged MV Ocean Molica, also known as the Arika Sun. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), it had left an Iranian port and tried to sail into the Arabian Sea, ignoring repeated warnings to stop.
“CENTCOM forces disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Oct. 10, after the ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade against Iran,” the command said. The jet’s strike “fully disabled the ship’s propulsion without harming the crew.”
The numbers behind the blockade are stark. Since the US reimposed it on July 14, American forces have disabled four commercial vessels, turned around 135 ships trying to enter or leave Iranian ports, and destroyed 10 tankers linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its “multibillion-dollar shadow network,” Gulf News reported.
CENTCOM claims the blockade has stopped all Iranian oil exports — a claim Gulf News says can’t be verified independently, though Kpler data shows Iran hasn’t loaded any crude since late August.
Iran hits back at tankers
Within hours of the US strike, shipping came under fire. On October 10, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Valthera was hit by an unknown projectile while leaving the strait, starting a fire, maritime analysts said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy separately claimed a supertanker carrying crude caught fire after hitting an Iranian naval mine. That claim could not be independently verified.
Step back and the trend is clear. Attacks on oil, LNG and LPG tankers around the Strait of Hormuz hit at least 12 in the week of September 28 to October 5 — the highest weekly count since the war began in late February, according to three maritime security sources cited by Reuters. The UN’s shipping agency, the IMO, counted nine incidents in the same week.
Also read: Houthi Attacks Kill Indian in Riyadh; 2 Missing Near Hormuz
India’s worry: its own sailors
India has now spoken formally. On Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement on two tankers struck in the Hormuz region — the Nicaragua-flagged MT Petro Dolphin and the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera.
Each had 11 Indian seafarers on board. Two of the 11 on the Petro Dolphin are missing after a drone hit the tanker. All 11 on the Valthera are safe.
“The safety and security of Indian seafarers remain a priority for the Government of India,” the MEA said. “The recurring attacks on commercial shipping in the region are deeply concerning and risk further aggravating an already volatile situation.”
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the Petro Dolphin drone strike at Sohar Anchorage; the Indian embassy in Muscat is coordinating the rescue.
The MEA’s full line: “Attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must cease. Freedom of navigation and the safe, unimpeded flow of maritime commerce through international waterways, in accordance with international law, must be upheld.” The ministry also flagged an earlier hit on a Panama-flagged tanker, On Peace, in which 12 crew members were injured.
And the money follows the violence: Brent crude climbed to $106.76 on Monday, its highest since September 29, as the strikes rattled traders, Reuters reported.
Also read: Rupee Near All-Time Low: Why It Keeps Falling
Talks going nowhere
Diplomacy, meanwhile, is stuck. Iran presented seven conditions to the US during the UN General Assembly for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Sunday that America’s reply, delivered through Qatari intermediaries, was “insufficient.”
What to watch next
Two things matter most. First, whether the US keeps its word and holds fire until after the November 3 midterms — or whether another tanker attack forces its hand. Second, whether Iran’s tanker campaign pushes shipping costs so high that even the vessels still sailing start refusing the route.
For India, the stakes are two missing sailors and an oil bill that climbs with every explosion. Neither is getting smaller.
FAQs
What happened to the ship Ocean Molica?
The Panama-flagged cargo vessel was struck in the stern by a US fighter jet’s precision munition in the Gulf of Oman on October 10-11. CENTCOM says its propulsion was disabled after the crew ignored blockade warnings; no crew were hurt.
How many Indian sailors are affected by the Gulf attacks?
Two Indian seafarers from the tanker MT Petro Dolphin are missing after a drone strike at Sohar Anchorage. All 11 Indian crew on MT Valthera are safe, and 12 crew were injured in an earlier strike on the tanker On Peace.
Is the Strait of Hormuz closed?
Not fully. CENTCOM says 20 million barrels of crude still passed through recently, but attacks hit a wartime high last week, and Kpler data shows daily crossings are running well below pre-war levels.
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