US Forces Intensify Iran Blockade, Redirecting Dozens of Commercial Vessels
CENTCOM says it will maintain the blockade on Hormuz Strait, while the EU continues protecting commercial shipping in regional waters.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The United States has tightened enforcement of its blockade against Iran, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying Wednesday that American forces have redirected 59 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as part of efforts to enforce the blockade.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said that as on Thursday, US forces had redirected 59 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to ensure full compliance with what it described as America’s blockade against Iran.
CENTCOM accompanied the statement with footage showing an F/A-18 fighter jet launching from the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush while the aircraft carrier sailed in regional waters and supported enforcement of the blockade.
The latest figures represent an increase from the previous day.
In another post Aug. 11, CENTCOM said its forces had redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled three non-compliant vessels and boarded two.
CENTCOM said on Aug. 11 that its forces had disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova after the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman toward an Iranian port in violation of the US blockade.
According to CENTCOM, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the vessel’s engine room after its civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces.
The command said the vessel was no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the blockade, which it said remained in full effect.
CENTCOM added that US forces operating in the Middle East remained “highly vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
The latest US measures come as the European Union has also stepped-up maritime protection for commercial shipping in the region.
On Wednesday, the EU officially said its Aspides naval mission was providing protection to commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea off western Yemen, amid the resumption of attacks by the Houthis against international commercial shipping in the area.
The EU said commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea had completed their journeys safely under the protection of its military forces in the region.
It said this was the second convoy of commercial vessels to safely transit the area this month following the resumption of attacks by the Houthis on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The EU stressed that its naval force was playing an effective role in helping keep one of the world’s most important maritime routes open and safe.
The mission currently consists of two naval units and more than 390 sailors from 21 European countries. Its operational area covers the Bab al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz, as well as international waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf.
As US forces intensify enforcement of the blockade against Iran and European naval forces continue protecting commercial shipping across key regional waterways, maritime security remains at the center of developments affecting international trade in the region.