U.S. forces disable tanker, 122 turned back

U.S. Central Command said on June 2 that American forces disabled an oil tanker bound for Iran after the vessel ignored repeated warnings under a U.S.-enforced maritime blockade. CENTCOM identified the ship as the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie and said it was sailing in international waters toward Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal. The command said a U.S. aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the tanker’s engine room after the crew failed to comply with directions over a 24-hour period. CENTCOM did not report casualties and said the tanker was unladen. ### Which ship was hit, and what did the U.S. say happened? CENTCOM said the M/T Lexie was intercepted on June 2 while heading toward Kharg Island in the Arabian Gulf. In a public release, the command said the crew ignored repeated warnings and failed to follow directions from U.S. forces “multiple times over a 24-hour period.” A U.S. aircraft then disabled the tanker by firing a Hellfire missile into the engine room, according to the CENTCOM statement. The command said the strike prevented the ship from reaching Iran and described the action as enforcement of blockade measures already in place. ### Where was the tanker trying to go, and why does Kharg Island matter here? (centcom.mil) Kharg Island is Iran’s main crude export hub, and shipping around the terminal has been under pressure for weeks as the U.S. blockade tightened. Bloomberg reported on May 12 that satellite images showed oil shipments from Kharg had come to a standstill for several days, the longest such halt since the war began. (centcom.mil) Recent shipping coverage has tied the blockade directly to attempts to stop tankers from reaching or loading at Kharg. Gulf News reported in April that Iran was scrambling for storage as pressure mounted at the island, while other maritime outlets have described rerouting and reduced loading activity. (bloomberg.com) ### Where does the “122 vessels turned back” figure come from? The specific figure of about 122 vessels turned back since the blockade began does not appear in the June 2 CENTCOM release. That number was carried by social posts and repeated by maritime outlet gCaptain, which reported on June 2 that the Lexie was the sixth commercial vessel interdicted and that roughly 122 vessels had been turned back since Washington imposed the blockade. (gulfnews.com) Because CENTCOM’s own statement did not include the six-vessel or 122-vessel totals, those figures remain second-hand unless the U.S. military publishes them separately. The verified U.S. account at this stage is narrower: CENTCOM confirmed the disabling of one tanker, named the vessel, and described the method used. (gcaptain.com) ### What about the reports that Italy denied U.S. use of a Sicily base? Reuters reported on March 31 that Italy denied permission for U.S. military aircraft to land at Sigonella air base in Sicily before heading to the Middle East. Reuters said the refusal came because Washington had not sought prior authorization from the government in Rome. (centcom.mil) Defense News and Politico separately reported the same dispute over Sigonella, citing Italian officials and linking the refusal to authorization procedures for U.S. flights tied to Middle East operations. Those reports were published in late March, not on June 2. ### What is the clearest verified takeaway right now? (usnews.com) June 2 is the key date for the tanker action. On that date, CENTCOM publicly confirmed that U.S. forces disabled the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie with a Hellfire strike after it ignored orders while sailing toward Kharg Island. March 31 is the clearest date for the Italy-Sigonella dispute. (defensenews.com) Reuters reported that episode two months earlier, and no authoritative source surfaced in this reporting showing a new June 2 Italian decision on the base. CENTCOM’s public release and video are the next places to watch for any update on the Lexie’s crew, the ship’s status, or broader blockade totals. (centcom.mil) Reuters and other major outlets would also be expected to publish any new U.S. or Italian government statements. (usnews.com)