’Gambian flagged vessel fired by US not heading to Iran’

The Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA) has said the Gambian-flagged cargo ship Lian Star which was fired at by a US missile in the Gulf of Oman was destined for Iraq and not Iran.

‎An American aircraft fired a missile directly into the engine room of the vessel leaving it to drift.

‎The US Central Command (Centcom) alleged the vessel ignored multiple warnings after it repeatedly attempted to breach the US-led maritime blockade on Iran and that it was actively transiting toward the Iranian coastline in direct violation of the maritime blockading perimetre established by the US.

However the GMA in a statement yesterday, explained that the said vessel which received a Permanent Certificate of Registry under Gambia on 30″ March 2026 was engaged in a legitimate commercial voyage and departed from Umm Qasr, Iraq, on 13 April 2026 for Karachi, Pakistan, where it loaded a cargo of bagged rice intended for delivery back to Iraq.

‎The Gambian shipping authorities added that the vessel’s declared and documented destination throughout the voyage remained Iraq. “The Master and crew have consistently maintained that the vessel was not destined for, nor intended to call at, any port in Iran. Furthermore, reports received from the vessel indicate that the incident in question occurred approximately 10 nautical miles from the Fujairah anchorage area, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Based on the information presently available, the incident did not occur within Iranian territorial waters,” it explained.

‎ The GMA further clarified that the vessel in question is not under any sanctions and there was no notification from competent international authorities indicating that the vessel is subject to international sanctions.