US Forces Redirect 68 Vessels Enforcing Iran Sanctions
CENTCOM says US warships have redirected 68 commercial vessels and boarded two Iranian ships since July as sanctions enforcement against Tehran continues.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday, that American naval forces have redirected the routes of 68 commercial vessels and boarded two Iranian ships since July, as Washington intensifies enforcement of sanctions against Tehran in waters near the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said in a statement posted on the social media platform X that, in the course of enforcing sanctions on Iran, US forces redirected the routes of 68 commercial vessels between last July and Aug. 21.
The command said the USS Ross (DDG 71) is one of more than 20 warships supporting the US blockade against Iran, sharing an image of American sailors observing an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter landing on the destroyer's flight deck.
"Ross is one of more than 20 warships supporting the U.S. blockade against Iran," CENTCOM stated. "As of Aug. 21, U.S. forces have redirected 68 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance."
The naval enforcement operation coincides with a broader economic offensive against Tehran announced by US President Donald Trump. Trump described the campaign as the most extensive economic operation ever launched against a single country, warning that any nation assisting Iran's financial institutions or trade networks would itself face serious consequences.
"No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me. TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it. Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump also warned third countries against providing Iran with financial relief, citing oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries and front companies as targets of the effort, which he called "an ECONOMIC D-DAY."
The campaign builds on an earlier sanctions and financial enforcement effort led by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and aims to curb Iran's oil trade, foreign currency exchange networks and military procurement channels. US authorities have designated more than 180 vessels, ship management firms and front companies operating in the UAE and other maritime hubs as part of the effort.
As enforcement at sea continues alongside Washington's expanding economic measures, officials on both sides of the standoff have signaled that the pressure campaign is likely to intensify in the weeks ahead, with regional stability remaining a stated priority for all parties involved.