CENTCOM: 103 merchant ships redirected since resumption of Hormuz blockade in July

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on September 16 that US forces had redirected 103 merchant ships as of September 15, as part of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, resumed in July. In a statement on platform X, CENTCOM said the ships were redirected to “ensure full compliance” with the blockade of one of the world’s most strategic waterways.

The figure follows the September 12 announcement, when the reported number was 100 ships redirected in the previous 60 days — indicating the continued strict enforcement of the US blockade, which aims to economically isolate Iran. (The figure of 109 that circulated earlier belonged to CENTCOM’s May 27 announcement for the first period of the blockade in April, not the period resumed in July.)

Tehran, for its part, calls the blockade illegal and demands its lifting as a condition for any talks. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Hormuz will remain closed until the US fulfils the commitments of the June agreement.

The confrontation over the strait is weighing on global energy markets: Qatar announced it could resume normal gas production “a few weeks” after Hormuz reopens, as critical equipment has been unable to reach the country due to the crisis.

Source: Al Jazeera (according to CENTCOM’s statement on X)