CENTCOM says 19 ships turned back to Iran under U.S. blockade

U.S. Central Command said the guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta redirected a merchant vessel back to an Iranian port on April 17 as part of what it described as an ongoing U.S. blockade. CENTCOM said 19 ships have complied so far and that none have broken through.

U.S. Central Command said Friday that the guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) ordered a merchant vessel to turn around and return to an Iranian port on April 17, as American forces enforced what CENTCOM described as a U.S. blockade.

Latest Interception

According to CENTCOM, the vessel complied with the destroyer’s direction and reversed course. The command did not identify the ship, its cargo, or the specific Iranian port involved.

CENTCOM Tally

In its statement, CENTCOM said that since the blockade began, 19 ships have obeyed orders from U.S. forces to turn back toward Iran.

19 vessels have complied with U.S. instructions to return
CENTCOM said zero vessels have evaded the blockade
The latest reported action involved USS Rafael Peralta

Official Statement

“Since commencement of the blockade, 19 ships have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return to Iran. ZERO vessels have evaded U.S. forces during the blockade,” CENTCOM said.

No further operational details were released in the initial statement.