US Central Command said on Wednesday that US forces had destroyed an Iran-linked sailing vessel in the Gulf of Oman, accusing it of conducting surveillance and targeting operations against US Navy vessels. It confirmed that the vessel’s crew had been safely evacuated before its destruction and that efforts were continuing to return them to their countries.
CENTCOM sets out timing of operation and vessel’s mission
US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, said in a statement published on its official account on the X platform that the operation was carried out on 6 October. It said the sailing vessel had been monitoring US warships in the Gulf of Oman and identifying associated targets before US forces destroyed it.
Separately, the US command accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of continuing to target vessels in territorial waters over the past seven months. It said the IRGC had continued to target thousands of civilian sailors crossing the region’s waters indiscriminately, as well as US Navy warships.
Statement does not disclose crew’s identity or nature of link
CENTCOM’s statement did not identify the crew members of the destroyed vessel or state how many there were. Nor did it provide details about the nature of the equipment that the command said was being used to conduct surveillance and identify targets associated with US warships. The statement also did not clarify whether the sailing vessel was carrying weapons or explain the nature of its link to Iran, describing it only as “Iran-linked”.
The announcement came amid US Central Command’s accusations that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was threatening maritime navigation and targeting military vessels in the region’s waters.
The US command stressed that the crew had been evacuated before the vessel was destroyed, adding that efforts to return the crew members to their countries were continuing.
