US Says Naval Blockade on Iran Continues, Tanker Boarded and Vessel Disabled

TAMPA, Jul 26: The United States said its naval blockade against Iran remains in effect, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting that it has intercepted multiple commercial vessels allegedly attempting to reach Iran in violation of the operation.

According to a CENTCOM statement, as of July 25, U.S. forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels that attempted to transit toward Iran, disabled two vessels that failed to comply with repeated warnings, and conducted verification boardings on two others to enforce the blockade.

CENTCOM said U.S. forces earlier completed a verification boarding of the Comoros-flagged tanker M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea. Following the inspection, the vessel was cleared to continue its voyage.

The command also said U.S. forces disabled the Mozambique-flagged tanker M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman on July 24 after its crew allegedly made multiple attempts to breach the blockade and ignored repeated warnings. CENTCOM said the vessel is no longer en route to Iran.

The U.S. military said its forces remain on high alert and are prepared to continue enforcing the blockade, describing them as "highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready."

The claims have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from Iran or the operators of the vessels mentioned.