WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US helicopter fired missiles on Tuesday into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran’s ports, the US military said.

The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova “after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that the vessel “is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade.”

It was the third time the US, in a months-long war against Iran, has forcibly halted a vessel since reinstating the ports blockade on 14 July.

CENTCOM said it has redirected 55 ships that tried to run the blockade and boarded two others as of Tuesday.

US forces previously blockaded Iranian ports from 13 April to 18 June, during which they disabled nine ships and redirected more than 140, according to CENTCOM.

Iran has demanded that the US end the ports blockade as part of its conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for oil and gas shipments before the war that has seen traffic plummet due to Tehran’s attacks on ships in the area.

US President Donald Trump repeated his frequent claim Tuesday that the country has taken over the waterway.

“We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don’t have control. We have total control. We own it,” Trump told reporters.