US Navy redirects 130 commercial vessels in Iran blockade

US Central Command said its warships have now redirected 130 commercial vessels since resuming a naval blockade of Iranian ports in mid-July, as part of a sustained campaign to choke off maritime trade with Iran amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. In a statement issued Monday, CentCom said the latest ship was turned away on October 5, bringing the total to 130 since the operation restarted on July 14 at the direction of President Donald Trump. The command also said it has disabled three vessels that refused to comply with orders and destroyed 13 ships over the past 12 weeks that it says either violated the blockade or were linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “shadow network.” CentCom Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the US military remains “intensely focused” on the mission and would “swiftly act against any vessels trying to run the blockade.” The command urged mariners operating in the Gulf of Oman and approaching the Strait of Hormuz to monitor US Notices to Mariners and maintain contact with US naval forces on bridge-to-bridge Channel 16.