US Forces Redirect 160 Commercial Vessels During Iran Maritime BlockadeMore than 20 U.S. Navy warships are currently operating within the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility in the Middle East, supporting ongoing regional security missions, including the enforcement of a naval blockade of Iran, according to CENTCOM. Photo: Openverse by manhhai, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ US NavyCENTCOM said U.S. forces recently redirected 18 commercial vessels operating in the region. American personnel also boarded and inspected two additional commercial vessels to verify compliance with blockade regulations before allowing them to continue their voyages, the command said. According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have redirected a total of 160 commercial vessels during the two phases of the maritime blockade. The command also stated that American forces disabled 11 ships that allegedly refused to comply with blockade directives after repeated warnings.