US Fires Missile at Ship 'Violating Blockade'; Houthi Rebels Attack Merchant Ship in Red Sea

[Anchor]

The U.S. military has fired a missile at a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to breach the maritime blockade against Iran. In the Red Sea, Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a merchant vessel, resulting in the first reported fatalities since the war began.

Reporting from Washington, here is correspondent Lee Hanseok.

[Reporter]

The U.S. Central Command stated on social media on the 11th, local time, that the U.S. military disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged cargo vessel Bellanova after it attempted to sail toward an Iranian port in violation of the U.S. maritime blockade against Iran.

The U.S. military explained that the crew ignored repeated warnings, prompting a U.S. Navy helicopter to fire two air-to-surface precision-guided missiles into the engine room.

A fire broke out on the ship immediately after the strike but was quickly extinguished, and all 17 crew members are reported to be safe.

This marks the third time the U.S. military has used force to directly strike a vessel since the resumption of the maritime blockade against Iran.

On the same day, bloodshed also erupted at the entrance of the Red Sea, a vital crude oil transit route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen fired three ballistic missiles at an Egyptian-flagged cargo ship transporting food supplies.

As rescue workers approached, the rebels launched a secondary attack, killing at least six people and injuring around ten others.

This is the first time official casualties have been confirmed from a Houthi attack on a merchant vessel since the outbreak of the war with Iran last February.

In addition, the Houthi-run Saba News Agency reported that the Houthi rebels also attacked a Saudi vessel transporting military supplies near the entrance of the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warned that the Strait of Hormuz will never be opened unless the U.S. lifts sanctions and returns frozen funds.

U.S. intelligence agencies have also assessed that Iran views control over the Strait of Hormuz as a more powerful strategic leverage than its nuclear program.

Despite reports from mediators that the United States and Iran are nearing a tentative agreement, key maritime transport routes across the Middle East are plunging deeper into the vortex of a massive armed conflict.

(Video Reporter: Park Eun-ha | Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.