U.S Prevents 70 Ships From Reaching Iranian Ports, Disables 3 & Boards 2, CENTCOM Says

U.S Central Command said in a post on X that U.S forces redirected 70 merchant vessels, boarded 2 and disabled 3 since enforcing the blockade on Iran once again.

The command shared another post on the same social media platform, showing a video of a US Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk conducting a vertical replenishment for USS Boxer (LHD 4) from the USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) while the ships were sailing in the waters of West Asia.

Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation (PGSA) issued a warning for ships violating its protocols for the Strait of Hormuz, saying they could face restrictions on future voyages, including fines, confiscation and detention.

The authority also said that ships which cooperate with those already on the list of non-compliant ones would automatically be added to the list if they engage with them through ship-to-ship transfers, transhipments, etc.

It has also urged cargo owners operating in the region to review the non-compliant list before chartering vessels to avoid issues in the future.

PGSA also said that ships that find their name in the non-compliance list have to submit an application and give a justification for their actions which got them flagged.

Iran also said that ships from ‘authorised’ countries wanting to sail through the Strait of Hormuz will now be required to pay service fees to Tehran.

Iran’s National Security Spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said that the fee will cover an array of services which will be offered by Iran to the ships; this would include maritime, environmental and logistical services, including search and rescue operations.

The Iranian state media reported that this comes after the National Security Commission approved the Article 3 “Strategic Action to Ensure the Security and Progress of the Strait of Hormuz” plan.

According to this, the countries authorised to cross the Strait of Hormuz will pay for the services offered by Iran.

According to the spokesperson, Iran would charge the fees for the services it will offer, including navigation, fueling, insurance, guarantee of safety, etc, adding that terms of payment have been designed with flexibility in mind.

Payment can be made in Rials or any other currency as well, as desired by Iran. Meanwhile, U.S President Donald Trump said that the U.S controls the strategic Strait of Hormuz while sharing an image which depicted it as ‘New U.S Territory.’