{"id":5366,"date":"2026-08-03T16:04:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/?p=5366"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:04:23","slug":"centcom-redirects-35-commercial-ships-as-iran-naval-blockade-expands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/centcom-redirects-35-commercial-ships-as-iran-naval-blockade-expands\/","title":{"rendered":"CENTCOM redirects 35 commercial ships as Iran naval blockade expands"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Iran naval blockade<\/strong> intensified after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Sunday that American forces had redirected 35 commercial vessels, immobilized two ships, and boarded two others for inspection since the blockade resumed on July 14. The measures come as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to rise around the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

CENTCOM said in a statement published on X on August 2 that U.S. forces “continue to enforce the naval blockade” against Iran. The command also released images showing a U.S. Marine Corps F-35C stealth fighter taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln while operating in the Arabian Sea. According to the statement, the operation targets vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas while seeking to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for international shipping under established maritime rules.<\/p>\n

The latest military update coincided with a warning issued by the UK Maritime Trade Operations on Sunday. The agency reported attacks on a liquefied natural gas carrier and a crude oil tanker on August 1 in waters north and northeast of the Strait of Hormuz. It classified the regional maritime threat level as “critical,” highlighting growing risks for commercial shipping.<\/p>\n

Diplomatic efforts remain uncertain despite the military escalation. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday through Truth Social that he had canceled a planned military strike against Iran on the condition that Tehran would move quickly toward an agreement. He said such a framework would require the immediate and complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of Iran’s nuclear threat.<\/p>\n

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded on Sunday by saying Tehran must compel the United States to respect the memorandum of understanding signed on June 18. That agreement had created a 60-day negotiating window that has been undermined by recent tensions. Trump also announced that talks with Iran were expected to take place on Monday.<\/p>\n

The current blockade follows an earlier enforcement period that lasted from April 13 to June 18. During that phase, CENTCOM said U.S. forces redirected more than 140 vessels and neutralized nine ships that failed to comply with the restrictions. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly below historical levels as shipping costs and maritime insurance premiums continue to stay elevated.<\/p>\n

Iran’s acting Defense Minister Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Ibn al-Reza said Tehran considers every threat from its adversaries to be genuine and serious, while describing recent U.S. statements as psychological warfare. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Saturday that any additional attack against Iran would receive what he called a decisive and proportionate response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Iran naval blockade intensified after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Sunday that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4888,3616,2528,4145],"class_list":["post-5366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-centcom","tag-maritime-security","tag-strait-of-hormuz","tag-united-states"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5366"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5368,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366\/revisions\/5368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}