Washington: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday that it had redirected 84 vessels, disabled 3 others and boarded 2 vessels as part of efforts to enforce the US blockade against Iran.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously described the US administration's economic pressure campaign against Iran as successful because it was backed by military strikes and a blockade, saying that the sanctions had reached a level of strength never seen before and covered digital assets, aviation and shipping.
He predicted that the Strait of Hormuz would lose its strategic importance within two years, as shipping companies and others would find alternative means of transit amid a decline in the volume of their trade with Iran.
CENTCOM had announced Monday that its forces had taken what it described as “a limited and precise action†against Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces that were laying mines and posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz.
