The United States Central Command said on Friday that American forces opened fire on and disabled two Iran-flagged tankers accused of attempting to violate the US blockade on Iranian ports.

According to CENTCOM, a US Navy Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carried out precision strikes targeting the vessels after they allegedly failed to comply with warnings.

In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said the fighter jet “disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran.”

The US military also released footage that it said showed the strikes on the two vessels.

The incident came amid escalating maritime tensions between the United States and Iran in and around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Iranian media reported renewed confrontations involving Iranian and American naval forces despite an existing ceasefire in the Gulf region.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported on Friday that fresh “sporadic clashes” had erupted between Iranian armed forces and US naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“For the last hour, sporadic clashes have taken place between the Iranian armed forces and American vessels in the Strait of Hormuz,” the agency said.

The report followed what Iranian media described as a flare-up between the two sides the previous night.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, and any escalation in the waterway is closely watched by global energy markets and international powers.