The United States army has expanded its efforts beyond the blockade of Iranian ports to allow its forces deployed worldwide to intercept any ship linked to Tehran suspected of carrying goods that could aid the Iranian government, whether it be weapons, oil, metals, or electronic materials.
General Dan Caine, Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, specifically mentioned operations in the Pacific, stating that the US would target ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz before the start of the blockade, later this week. This strait is a crucial maritime route for energy and other goods transport.
American forces in other areas of responsibility will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged ship or any ship attempting to provide material support to Iran, he told reporters at the Pentagon.
The army also detailed a long list of goods it considers contraband, declaring that it will board, search, and seize these goods on merchant ships, “regardless of their location”.
A notice published on Thursday specifies that any “goods intended for an enemy and likely to be used in an armed conflict” are “liable to be seized anywhere beyond neutral territory”.
The intensification of US military efforts targeting Iranian maritime transport is a new form of pressure on Tehran and comes as the ceasefire is about to expire in a few days.
Mediators are pushing for an extension of the truce that suspended nearly seven weeks of war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.
The new list of prohibited materials established by the army includes products such as weapons, ammunition, and military equipment classified as “absolute contraband”.
However, it also lists items such as oil, iron, steel, aluminum, and other goods as “conditional contraband”, arguing that they can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Otherwise harmless items, such as electronics, electricity production equipment, or heavy machinery, may be seized if “circumstances indicate a military end-use”, the notice specifies.
Over 10,000 American soldiers are participating in the enforcement of the blockade on Iranian ports. Although no ship has been boarded yet, defense officials claim that the army is warning ships linked to Iran that they may fire warning shots or use other means of force if they attempt to evade the navy.
In the first three days of the military operation, 14 ships turned back instead of facing the naval blockade, according to the US Central Command, which oversees the war against Iran.
Some ships linked to Iran or subject to sanctions that left the strait appear to have altered their course, turned off their radio transponders, or turned back toward Iranian shores, according to maritime data companies.
US Warnings
Ships approaching the blockade, which is applied in Iranian territorial waters and international waters, not in the Strait of Hormuz, receive a warning, Mr. Caine explained.
“Any ship breaching the blockade would lead to our sailors executing established tactics to use force against the ship – if necessary, to board it and take control,” he clarified.
The US Central Command released a radio message to ships in the region, stating that the army was ready to resort to force if necessary to enforce the rules.
“Ships transiting to or from an Iranian port will be boarded for interception and seizure,” the message stated.
