CENTCOM: US forces redirected 118 vessels, disabled five

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday said that the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz was “very much still in place.”

By JNS

American forces redirected 118 commercial vessels and disabled five as part of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command said on Sunday night.

The figure was up from 116 vessels redirected on Saturday, according to CENTCOM, as American forces continued enforcement operations under the blockade that began on April 13.

The U.S. military conducted what CENTCOM described as “self-defense strikes” on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk and the island of Qeshm over the weekend, it stated separately.

“The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” according to the statement.

“U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” it added.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday said that the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz was “very much still in place,” as U.S. President Donald Trump was holding meeting at the White House for discussions on an agreement with the Islamic Republic.

“Any deal that the president is willing to make, he’s only going to make it if he believes it’s a great deal for our country and the security of the world,” said Hegseth.

“Only one president was willing to lay it out on the line and ensure after 47 years that Iran is not capable of having a nuclear weapon,” he continued.

“Those goalposts haven’t shifted at all, which is the expectation of the American people and what we’ve stated to Iran,” he added.

“So, in the middle of negotiations, the closer they come to that reality—both now and into the future—the closer we’re going to get to that kind of a deal.”