US Official Says Boxship Operator Was at Fault For Iranian Missile Strike

Despite assurances from the U.S. military that transits through Omani waters of the Strait of Hormuz could be protected from Iranian attacks, the boxship CMA CGM San Antonio was struck by a cruise missile on Tuesday as it passed eastbound through the waterway. The IMO confirmed in a statement that eight crewmembers were injured in the strike, and CMA CGM told media that the wounded were evacuated for medical treatment. It appears to be the largest number of seafarer injuries reported in a single incident since the start of the conflict earlier this year.

After the attack, a U.S. military official implied that the responsibility for the CMA CGM San Antonio's security breach was on the operator, claiming the boxship did not follow Project Freedom's guidelines and check-in procedures, according to the New York Times. The official noted that post-attack, the San Antonio's crew had called for help from nearby Oman, not from U.S. forces, implying that they were not reliant on U.S. assistance.

The disavowal appears to clash with CMA CGM's version: the world's third-largest ocean carrier told the Times that it was fully coordinating with U.S. forces throughout. Regardless of which version may be accurate, any perception that the U.S. military would blame the vessel operator for a security breach is unlikely to reassure shipping companies, which were already skeptical about the ability of U.S. forces to consistently intercept multi-domain Iranian attacks across a broad region.

A second CMA CGM vessel, the CMA CGM Saigon, made it through and clear during the brief period of Project Freedom's operations. Two U.S.-flagged ships, identified as the ro/ro Alliance Fairfax and the product tanker CS Anthem, also made it through.

"While a few ships made it out safely while 'Project Freedom' was in ?place, it was clear that transits without coordination with Iran entailed significant risk," said ?BIMCO chief security officer Jakob Larsen in a conversation with Reuters, referring to the IRGC "Tehran Tollbooth" transit approval system.

On Tuesday evening, after the attack on the San Antonio, President Donald Trump suspended Project Freedom after less than 48 hours in operation, stating that Pakistani mediators had requested a pause in order to advance the ongoing negotiations with Tehran.

U.S. Central Command has been contacted for comment.