Washington: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday that its maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz has redirected 87 commercial vessels so far, as part of an ongoing effort to enforce compliance with US directives against Iran.
US forces have disabled three vessels and boarded two others to ensure “total compliance,” the command said in a statement, according to Arab News.
President Donald Trump announced on April 13 that the US Navy would begin blocking ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz, after peace talks with Iran failed to produce a deal. The narrow waterway is one of the world’s most important oil transit routes, and any disruption there raises global concerns.
The blockade was temporarily lifted on June 18, when US forces stopped intercepting all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas. The move came one day after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding, signaling a brief thaw in tensions.
That pause proved short lived. On July 14, the US military announced it was resuming the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, citing renewed concerns over Iranian activities.
The back-and-forth reflects the fragile state of US-Iran relations, where diplomatic breakthroughs can quickly give way to renewed pressure campaigns. For commercial shippers, the shifting rules mean uncertainty, delays and higher costs as they navigate one of the world’s most strategically sensitive chokepoints.
CENTCOM did not provide details on which vessels were redirected or where they were sent, but the figure of 87 underscores the scale of the operation. The command also did not say whether any crews were detained or what happened to the disabled ships.
For now, the US says it will keep the pressure on until it sees “total compliance” from vessels in the region. Iran has not publicly commented on the latest CENTCOM statement, but Tehran has previously condemned the blockade as an act of economic coercion.
