US Says It Redirected 6 Commercial Ships, Disabled 1 Under Iran Naval Blockade

The United States has redirected six commercial vessels and disabled one ship as part of its naval blockade on Iran, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.

CENTCOM said the actions were carried out by U.S. forces as of July 19 to ensure compliance with the blockade, which the United States resumed last week on vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

“U.S. Navy Sailors remain focused and vigilant aboard guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113), as American forces continue implementing the naval blockade against Iran,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.

The command added that it had “redirected 6 commercial vessels and disabled 1 to ensure full compliance.”

The United States resumed its naval blockade targeting ships linked to Iranian ports and coastal areas on Tuesday.

CENTCOM has not provided details about the vessels involved or the circumstances surrounding the enforcement actions.

In an earlier statement, CENTCOM said a U.S. service member was killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded in the incident.

The statement followed an earlier announcement that two U.S. service members had been killed.

CENTCOM also said it had located unidentified remains in Jordan, where one U.S. service member had been listed as missing. The command said an examination process to verify the remains was ongoing.

As of July 19, CENTCOM said six commercial vessels had been redirected and one ship had been disabled as part of efforts to enforce the U.S. naval blockade on Iran. No further information on the affected vessels or future operations was provided.

References: AA, TimesofIsrael