US Forces Disable M/V Lian Star With Hellfire Missile in Gulf of Oman — 5th Vessel Disabled Under Blockade; 116 Vessels Redirected — Day 92

US forces disabled the Gambia-flagged cargo vessel M/V Lian Star in the Gulf of Oman on May 30, 2026 (Day 92) after the ship ignored more than 20 CENTCOM warnings while heading toward an Iranian port. A US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the ship's engine room, disabling but not sinking it. The vessel remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman; US forces did not board it. CENTCOM announced this was the fifth commercial ship disabled since the blockade began in early April under Operation Hormuz Vigilance, with 116 vessels redirected and 5 disabled in total since the blockade's enforcement phase began. The incident escalated the blockade's physical enforcement: previous actions had involved warning shots and maritime intercepts, but the Hellfire strike on the engine room marked a step-up in kinetic enforcement. The Lian Star incident was carried out under the same 'self-defense and freedom of navigation' legal authority cited in previous blockade enforcement actions. Stars and Stripes and Task and Purpose confirmed the incident from CENTCOM. Iran's state media condemned the strike as 'piracy.' The disabled vessel joined the growing number of stranded ships — 1,550+ vessels with 22,500+ mariners remained affected by the Hormuz crisis as of Day 92.