US Fires Hellfire at Lexie During Centcom Strait Of Hormuz Blockade
The US says it has tightened the centcom strait of hormuz blockade after a Hellfire missile hit the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it sailed toward Iran on Tuesday. US Central Command said the missile struck the engine room of the unladen tanker after the crew ignored repeated warnings.
The strike matters because Centcom said the ship was moving through international waters toward Kharg Island, inside a blockade that has applied to vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports since 13 April. The command said its footage purportedly shows the moment the tanker was hit.
Centcom and M/T Lexie
Centcom said US forces enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island. Centcom also said the ship's crew failed to comply with directions from US forces multiple times over a 24-hour period, and that the tanker was disabled after the strike.
The detail that stands out is the vessel's flag and route. Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie was not described as carrying cargo, and Centcom said it was unladen when the missile hit. That leaves the immediate operational effect in the engine room itself: the tanker lost the ability to continue under its own power after the strike.
Six vessels disabled
Centcom said six commercial vessels have been disabled since the blockade went into force, while another 122 vessels have been redirected. Those figures show this was not a one-off encounter, but part of an enforcement campaign that has already affected a wider set of commercial traffic around Iranian ports.
For shipowners and crews moving through the area, the practical takeaway is blunt. Centcom has shown it is willing to use force after repeated warnings, and it is pairing that with redirection for vessels that change course before being hit. The difference between those two outcomes now appears to be how quickly a crew responds to directions from US forces.
Iran and Kharg Island
Iran had not publicly commented on the issue. Centcom said the tanker was headed toward Kharg Island, which places the incident inside a route that US forces have said falls under their blockade measures.
The immediate next step is likely to come from the same enforcement pattern already in place: more vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports face the risk of being redirected, disabled, or both. For crews in the area, the question is no longer whether the blockade is being applied, but whether a vessel follows directions fast enough to avoid becoming the next M/T Lexie.
