U.S. military hits commercial ship trying to reach Iran as peace talks continue

The U.S. military says it fired a missile into the engine room of a vessel trying to get through the U.S. blockade of Iran on Friday.



In a statement on Saturday, U.S. 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, U.S. forces issued "more than 20 warnings" informing the vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade, according to Centcom.



Centcom said the ship was "no longer transiting to Iran" but did not provide any further detail. Since the blockade started on April 13, the U.S. military

has "redirected" at least 115 ships, Centcom said on Friday.



U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the U.S. military is ready to resume strikes on Iran if no deal is reached in efforts to end the war between the United States and Iran.