Iran24 August, 20263 min read
CENTCOM Redirects 70 Ships, Disables 3, Boards Two Vessels in U.S. Iran Blockade
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CENTCOM redirected about seventy merchant ships as part of the Iran blockade. CENTCOM disabled three vessels and boarded two ships during the operations.
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Blockade, ships rerouted
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces redirected 70 commercial ships and disabled 3 vessels as part of enforcing the U.S. blockade on Iran, while also boarding two ships to verify compliance with U.S. procedures.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said the operations through August 23 included redirecting 70 commercial vessels to ensure compliance with the sanctions, in addition to disabling 3 ships and boarding two others.
Separately, CNN reported that two Democratic senators demanded the Pentagon investigate quality-of-life issues aboard Navy ships participating in the standoff with Iran, citing a letter sent Monday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.
CNN said the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carriers and the USS Benfold destroyer spent four days last month without power in the South China Sea after an engineering failure, and that the Lincoln’s extended deployment has featured virtually no shore time for sailors since a December 2025 stopover in Guam.
CNN added that the Ford suffered a major fire that started in the ship’s laundry department and required 30 hours to defeat, leading to roughly 600 sailors losing access to their bunks.
Lawmakers press for review
CNN said the senators requested “an immediate independent strategic review” of the recent deployments of the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carriers and the USS Benfold destroyer.
The letter, CNN reported, asked the review “should examine readiness issues related to operations, manning, quality of life, including mental health, and culture on the ships as well as communications with the crews’ families.”
CNN identified the lawmakers as Patty Murray of Washington and Chris Coons of Delaware, and said the demand came from the top Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
CNN also reported that Cao, in an August 14 statement on the Lincoln’s deployment, praised the crew’s endurance and argued that “our young men and women have been pushed to their limits — but they have never broken.”
In the same CNN account, the Lincoln was described as on its way home to San Diego, while the Ford recently completed a record-long deployment that included combat missions against Venezuela and Iran.
Hormuz traffic and threats
Shipping data cited by Marine Insight showed that fewer than 20 commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, with Kpler data showing four vessels crossed on Sunday and 13 crossed on Saturday. Marine Insight reported that UKMTO said “Traffic remains well below normal levels,” and added that AIS-detected transits were about 90% below pre-conflict levels and had fallen since the peak recorded between June 24 and June 26. The same Marine Insight account said UKMTO has reported 23 incidents involving projectile strikes on vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz since July 6, with damage to bridges, engine rooms and other parts of vessels.
In a separate interview carried by the Jerusalem Post, Supreme National Security Council head Mohsen Rezaee claimed Iran sold “seventy million barrels of oil” in the past month or two and warned other countries not to join the U.S. “economic war” against Iran. The Jerusalem Post also quoted Rezaee threatening that “We will strike the interests of the country,” and said he claimed the Strait of Hormuz is currently closed and will reopen only if the U.S. “fulfills its obligations.”