CENTCOM: dhow linked to the Islamic Republic that was tracking US warships destroyed

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a video on Wednesday 14 October 2026 that US forces destroyed a dhow linked to the Islamic Republic in the Gulf of Oman on 6 October. According to CENTCOM, the dhow was identifying and targeting US Navy warships.

CENTCOM said the dhow's crew left the vessel safely before it was destroyed and that efforts to return them to their country are continuing. The command did not give the dhow's name or say how it was destroyed. The 23-second video released shows the moment the vessel was hit.

Tracking with small boats after damage to coastal systems

In its statement, CENTCOM said the IRGC has indiscriminately targeted thousands of civilian seafarers and US warships over the past seven months. According to reports, after its coastal surveillance infrastructure was damaged, the IRGC has increasingly turned to small boats and dhows with unarmed lookouts to identify merchant ships for attack. This is the same pattern seen in the Islamic Republic's change of tactics in attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The naval blockade continues

According to CENTCOM, since the US naval blockade was reimposed on 14 July, 135 ships have been turned back and 10 IRGC-linked tankers have been destroyed. On 10 October, a US fighter jet also disabled the Panama-flagged cargo ship Ocean Molika in the Gulf of Oman, which CENTCOM said had ignored warnings — the fourth merchant ship disabled in this period.

The announcement comes as CENTCOM had earlier rejected Ali Azmayi's claim that the IRGC controls the Strait of Hormuz, and attacks on ships in Hormuz continue.

CENTCOM: a dhow that was tracking US warships in the Gulf of Oman for the IRGC was destroyed after its crew left it.