The Gambian-flagged ship Lian Star reportedly ignored over 20 warnings on Friday as it headed towards Iran's coastline, the U.S. military command CENTCOM wrote in a statement.
A U.S. fighter jet then fired a missile into the ship's engine room.
"The ship is no longer en route to Iran," CENTCOM wrote.
The ship is now adrift in the Gulf of Oman and U.S. forces have not boarded it, a source with knowledge of the matter told the AP news agency.
The U.S. has stopped five merchant ships and diverted 116 since the naval blockade went into effect in April, according to CENTCOM.
