US forces board ship to ensure blockade ‘compliance’, carry out fresh Iran strikes

WASHINGTON - American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on July 16 as part of the renewed blockade of Iran’s ports that began earlier this week, the US military said.

US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.

The previous day, a US aircraft fired on and disabled an unladen oil tanker that tried to break the blockade.

The military command also said on July 16 it had “redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade” since it took effect at 2000 GMT on July 14 (4am on July 15 in Singapore).

US forces previously blockaded Iranian ports from April 13 to June 18, during which time they disabled nine ships and redirected more than 140, according to CENTCOM.

Earlier, CENTCOM said on X that US forces had begun conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran for a sixth consecutive night, “to further degrade Iranian military capabilities”.

An airport, a railway station in the port city of Bandar Abbas and two bridges in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz were hit, according to Iranian state media.

“Three explosions were heard around the airport and at least one American enemy projectile hit Iranshahr airport,” in the south-east, state television IRIB said on Telegram.

“A few minutes ago, the Bandar Abbas Railway Junction Station was targeted by the American enemy. According to this report, two Iranians were injured in the attack,” Mehr said on Telegram.

An official report spoke of airstrikes on two bridges Hormozgan Province and cited IRNA as saying that two people had died and four were injured. REUTERS, AFP