U.S. military says it diverted three ships, enforcing Iran naval blockade
Washington, July 17 (SANA)The U.S. military said on Thursday it diverted three commercial vessels, disabled another and inspected an oil tanker as part of enforcement measures under aU.S.-imposed naval blockade on Iranian ports.
In a statement posted on X, theU.S. Central Command(CENTCOM) said U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded and inspected the oil tanker Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman on July 16.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces have so far diverted three commercial vessels that attempted to breach the naval blockade on Iran, disabled one vessel that failed to comply with U.S. orders, and inspected another vessel to ensure compliance with the restrictions.
The command said the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters remain open to international maritime traffic, except for vessels attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The U.S. military resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports early Wednesday, saying the move was in response to what it described as continuing Iranian attacks on maritime navigation inthe Strait of Hormuz.