US Says It Stopped Three Commercial Ships Accused of Violating Iran Naval Blockade

Washington: The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has claimed that American forces intercepted three commercial vessels that allegedly attempted to breach the US naval blockade imposed on Iran, as tensions in the region continue to escalate.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said US forces had redirected three commercial ships attempting to enter restricted waters, disabled one vessel that allegedly failed to comply with repeated warnings, and boarded another to verify compliance with the blockade.

The command also announced that US Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit carried out a verification boarding of the tanker M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman on July 16.

According to CENTCOM, US naval forces resumed enforcing the blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports earlier this week.

"The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate America's steel wall blockade," the command said in its statement.

The latest development comes as US military operations against Iranian targets have continued for six consecutive days. According to the US, the strikes resumed after President Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire reached in April was no longer in effect.

Earlier, CENTCOM said US forces disabled another commercial vessel, the Curacao-flagged oil tanker M/T Belma, after it allegedly ignored repeated warnings while heading toward Iran's Kharg Island.

The US military said an American aircraft fired Hellfire missiles at the ship's smokestack, rendering the vessel inoperable before it could reach the Iranian port.

CENTCOM also stated that US forces carried out two waves of military strikes against Iran on Wednesday, targeting what it described as Iranian military capabilities that threaten commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has not yet publicly responded to the latest US claims. Independent verification of the reported maritime interceptions and military actions was not immediately available.

With inputs from IANS