U.S. Marines Destroy Iranian-Affiliated Wooden Boat With Missile In Gulf Of Oman

U.S. forces destroyed an Iranian-affiliated wooden boat on October 6 after it was identified by U.S. Central Command as conducting surveillance and assisting in targeting U.S. Navy ships.

Footage shows two U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters following the vessel before one fires a missile. Subsequent thermal and daylight footage captures the boat being struck and burning on the water, sending a large plume of black smoke into the sky.

CENTCOM said the vessel had been assisting in surveillance and targeting operations against U.S. naval ships. The crew was removed before the boat was destroyed, and repatriation efforts were ongoing, according to the command.

The strike took place amid a broader U.S. campaign against Iranian-linked shipping and an ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports. CENTCOM linked the operation to a seven-month period during which it said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had targeted civilian shipping and U.S. naval vessels in the region.