Archive: An MH-60R Sea Hawk aboard USS George Washington in the Middle East, 2026. U.S. Navy photo via DVIDS; public domain; cropped.
U.S. Central Command said Saturday that its forces have redirected 144 commercial vessels while enforcing the naval blockade against Iran, a running tally the command published with a photograph of a Navy helicopter launching from an aircraft carrier supporting what it called America’s “ironclad blockade.”
The figure, current as of October 31 and posted in CENTCOM’s October 31 update, marks a rise of 14 redirected vessels in less than four weeks. In its last detailed accounting on October 5, the command said forces had redirected their 130th commercial vessel, had disabled three ships that refused to comply, and had destroyed 13 commercial vessels over the preceding 12 weeks that were violating the blockade or operating in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ shadow network, according to the command’s public release.
The 144-vessel figure is the October 31 tally. The linked October 5 release supplies the earlier 130-vessel count and enforcement history, not the latest total.
CENTCOM resumed the blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart Iranian ports on July 14, acting at the direction of the president. The aircraft carrier USS George Washington is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations supporting the enforcement mission, the Navy said.
The enforcement count comes as indirect talks between the United States and Iran, mediated by Qatar, continue without an agreement – negotiators met in Doha Saturday with no deal yet. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Atlanta, said the administration’s preference is a diplomatic solution but “it can’t be one that endangers our national security,” according to the State Department’s transcript.
CENTCOM advises mariners in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz approaches to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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