The US says the ship attempted to breach the US blockade four times and that the crew was warned. The ship's engine room was then fired upon, putting it out of service.
It is unknown whether anyone was injured in the attack.
"The ship is no longer en route to Iran," Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the US military command Centcom, wrote to The New York Times .
The attack was the second by the American side since the United States reimposed its blockade on Iranian ports, according to the AP.
