US forces redirect 12 commercial vessels, board two as naval blockade against Iran continues: CENTCOM

Washington: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the United States’ naval blockade against Iran remains fully in effect, announcing that American forces have redirected multiple commercial vessels, boarded ships for verification, and disabled one tanker that allegedly attempted to violate the blockade.

In a post on X, CENTCOM stated: “The U.S. naval blockade against Iran remains in full effect. As of July 25, CENTCOM has redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 2 that didn’t comply, and boarded 2 to ensure total compliance.”

The central command said that US forces earlier completed a verification boarding of the Comoros-flagged tanker M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea.

Describing the operation, CENTCOM said: “Earlier today, U.S. forces completed a verification boarding aboard Comoros-flagged M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, and the tanker is now continuing its journey.”

CENTCOM also announced action against another vessel, saying American forces had disabled the Mozambique-flagged tanker M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after its crew allegedly attempted to breach the blockade.

According to the command, “CENTCOM forces disabled Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman, July 24, after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.”

The military command emphasised that US forces remain prepared for further operations in the region, stating: “American forces remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”

Meanwhile, in an earlier update issued on July 24, CENTCOM said it had completed the 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran. The command said the strikes targeted Iranian military command centres, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities as part of efforts to reduce what it described as threats posed by Iran to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM further said that the Strait of Hormuz remained open for commercial transit despite recent attacks attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding that commercial shipping continued to navigate the strategic waterway with the support of the US military. The command also said that more than 50,000 US service members were currently operating across the Middle East as part of ongoing regional operations.

IANS