In Washington, U.S. Marines boarded a commercial ship in the Arabian Sea on suspicion that the ship was heading to Iran and violating the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Central Command said it conducted a search of the commercial ship Blue Star 3 and released it after determining that it was not heading to an Iranian port.
“Earlier today, U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Group boarded the M/V Blue Star III in the Arabian Sea on suspicion of attempting to violate a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports en route to Iran,” U.S. Central Command wrote on the X website on Tuesday.
Central Command said the U.S. military released the ship after conducting a search and confirming that the ship’s voyage would not stop at an Iranian port.
The ship was reportedly released after a search determined it was not intended to dock at an Iranian port.
Central Command added that 39 ships had been “redirected to ensure compliance” with the blockade.
Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted, disrupting global energy markets and raising concerns about long-term economic damage.
The blockade has resulted in ships anchoring at several ports in the region.
U.S. Central Command said: “Before the U.S. imposed a blockade on Iran, an average of five ships were anchored or anchored in Iran’s Chabahar Port every day. Today, more than 20 ships remain in Chabahar Port as the U.S. military cuts off economic trade in and out of Iran during the ongoing blockade.”
According to the maritime traffic monitoring website, the M/V Blue Star III is a container ship flying the Comoros flag and is bound for Sohar Port in Oman.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
