US military fires at cargo ship in Gulf of Oman

A U.S. military aircraft fired at a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday disabling the ship, in a latest move in the ongoing conflict with Iran.

“CENTCOM forces disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Nov. 7, after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to violate the naval blockade against Iran multiple times,” the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced in a post on social platform X .

“The cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port,” the post read.

In a press release on Saturday , Centcom said enforcement actions since July “have resulted in U.S. forces redirecting 147 commercial vessels that complied and disabled five merchant ships that refused to comply.”

Centcom recently launched a podcast titled “Inside Centcom,” which kicked off on Thursday with an inaugural episode featuring the command’s head Adm. Brad Cooper and Fleet Master Chief Lateef Compton, Centcom’s senior enlisted leader. The podcast, Compton said, is meant to provide insights into how the command operates and give the American people “an opportunity to get to know the incredible people that make up our team.”

On Friday, the U.S. launched new defensive strikes against Iran targeting the country’s air defense systems, which President Trump described as “minor.” This was the first strike against the Islamic Republic since the Republicans were dealt with stunning losses in the midterm elections.

The ongoing war in Iran, which now in its ninth month, was a central focus in the midterm elections. Several GOP officials placed blame on the war following the defeat faced by their party.

Vice President Vance, in a lengthy social media post following the midterms , said, “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”

“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest,” he continued.

The president also acknowledged the war’s impact on the elections and told The Wall Street Journal in an election night interview that it was part of the reason the GOP was faced with losses.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) pointed to cost of living as a “top issue” after the Lone Star State witnessed a historic flip with Democrats winning statewide elections but acknowledged the war in his remarks.

“Food is too high. Gas is too high. Diesel is too high. Insurance is too high. Life is too high,” Cruz said. “Tariffs have made everything too expensive, and the Iran war has dragged on too long.”

In a Gallup poll , released before the midterms, roughly 47 percent voters said the war would be an “extremely” important issue when casting their ballot and 30 percent said it would be “very” important.