Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jul 26: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday said the United States is continuing to enforce its naval blockade against Iran, announcing that American forces have intercepted several commercial vessels, conducted verification boardings, and disabled a tanker accused of attempting to breach the restrictions.
In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said the blockade remains fully operational and that, as of July 25, US forces had redirected 12 commercial vessels attempting to enter Iranian waters in violation of the blockade.
According to the command, two vessels that failed to comply with repeated instructions were disabled, while two others were boarded to verify their cargo and ensure adherence to the blockade measures.
CENTCOM said US personnel earlier carried out a verification boarding of the Comoros-flagged tanker M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea. Following the inspection, the vessel was cleared to continue its voyage.
The command also reported action against the Mozambique-flagged tanker M/T Lavine, stating that the ship was disabled in the Gulf of Oman on July 24 after allegedly ignoring repeated warnings and attempting multiple times to violate the blockade. The vessel, CENTCOM said, is no longer en route to Iran.
Reaffirming its military readiness, CENTCOM said American forces deployed in the region remain on high alert and prepared to respond to any further developments.
In an earlier operational update released on July 24, the command said US forces had completed the 13th consecutive night of military strikes against Iranian targets.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes were aimed at military command facilities, drone storage sites, communications infrastructure, coastal surveillance systems and maritime assets. The operations, it said, were intended to reduce threats to civilian shipping and commercial vessels operating through the Strait of Hormuz.
The command also maintained that the strategic waterway remains open for international commercial traffic despite recent attacks it attributed to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). CENTCOM said commercial ships continue to transit the Strait with support from US military forces.
It further stated that more than 50,000 US service members are currently deployed across the Middle East as part of ongoing regional security operations.