Washington, July 2026: The United States has reaffirmed that its naval blockade against Iran remains fully operational, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announcing that American forces have intercepted several commercial vessels, conducted verification boardings, and disabled a tanker allegedly attempting to breach the blockade.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, CENTCOM said the US Navy continues to enforce the blockade across key maritime routes in the Middle East. According to the command, as of July 25, American forces had redirected 12 commercial vessels suspected of attempting to violate the blockade, disabled two vessels that failed to comply with repeated instructions, and boarded two others to verify their cargo and ensure adherence to the restrictions.
CENTCOM said one of the latest operations involved the Comoros-flagged tanker M/T Charminar, which was boarded by US forces in the Arabian Sea for a routine verification inspection. Following the boarding and inspection process, the vessel was cleared to continue its voyage.
The command also disclosed that US forces had taken action against another commercial tanker, the Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavrine, in the Gulf of Oman. According to CENTCOM, the vessel repeatedly attempted to violate the blockade despite receiving several warnings from US naval forces.
“CENTCOM forces disabled Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavrine in the Gulf of Oman on July 24 after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” the military command said in its statement.
Reiterating its readiness to continue operations in the region, CENTCOM stated that American forces remain “highly vigilant, focused, lethal and ready” to respond to any attempts to undermine maritime security or threaten commercial shipping.
The latest update follows an earlier announcement by CENTCOM on July 24, in which it confirmed completing the 13th consecutive night of military strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure. According to the command, the operations were aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities by striking command centres, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance systems, and maritime assets.
CENTCOM said the operations are intended to counter what it described as threats posed by Iran to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes.
Despite the heightened military activity, the US military maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international commercial traffic. CENTCOM stated that commercial shipping continues to pass through the waterway with support from US naval forces and added that more than 50,000 American service personnel are currently deployed across the Middle East as part of ongoing regional security operations.
The developments come amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, with increased military activity raising concerns over regional stability and the security of global energy supply routes
(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
