CENTCOM says it rerouted 48 commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz as part of naval blockade on Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed, according to the UAE based Erem News website in a report carried on Thursday, 15 Mordad 1405 (6 August 2026), that its forces had rerouted 48 commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz as of Wednesday, 14 Mordad (5 August), disabled two vessels, and boarded and inspected two others, as part of the US effort to impose a naval blockade on Iran. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, CENTCOM also said a US Air Force F-16 fighter jet conducted an aerial refuelling operation while patrolling Middle East regional waters as part of the same mission.

The claim comes as Iran and Oman continue talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, whose traffic, which averaged 130 to 140 vessels a day before the war, remains severely constrained.