ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday it “disabled” an Iranian-flagged oil tanker sailing light toward an Iranian port via cannon fire from a fighter jet, coming as the US blockade of Iranian port facilities continues.

According to a statement from the regional military command, the vessel was operating in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday when it ignored US-imposed blockade measures.

CENTCOM forces “observed M/T Hasna as it transited international waters en route to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” the statement said.

“American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade.”

After the tanker's crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings,” US forces disabled its rudder by firing several 20mm cannon rounds from an F/A-18 Super Hornet jet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The command asserted that the ship “is no longer transiting to Iran,” adding that “the US blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports remains in full effect.”

On April 13, the US military announced that it would begin blocking sea traffic to Iranian ports after a tenuous round of peace talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement.

As of Wednesday, US forces have directed 52 vessels back to their port of origin since the commencement of the blockade, according to CENTCOM, coming as Iranian restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz drive up global energy prices.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that "Project Freedom," a separate initiative with the aim to open up the Strait to commercial traffic, has been paused as negotiations with Tehran continue.

Despite the repriece, the president said that the maritime blockade imposed on Iranian ports will remain in place.