⚓ U.S. ENFORCES NAVAL BLOCKADE: Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the tanker M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman on July 16 to verify compliance with the U.S. blockade.
CENTCOM said American forces had redirected three commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade, disabled one vessel that failed to comply and boarded another. It maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remained open except to vessels attempting to violate the blockade.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Iran continued communicating with Washington and expressing interest in an agreement. She said the blockade applies only to vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and was reimposed after Iran violated its commitment not to attack commercial shipping.
🚢 MARITIME SECURITY INCIDENTS CONTINUE: A tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile 19 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman, late July 16. The vessel sustained minor damage, but the crew remained safe and continued toward its destination.
A separate vessel was illegally boarded by unauthorized personnel 65 nautical miles south of Al Mukalla, Yemen, on July 17 while traveling east through the Gulf of Aden.
UKMTO also reported military interactions involving merchant vessels near Iran’s Kharg Island and approximately 100 nautical miles east of Duqm, Oman. Investigations remained underway, and commercial vessels were advised to exercise caution.
⚠️ IRAN RETALIATES ACROSS THE REGION: Following the overnight strikes, Iran launched attacks toward Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.
The IRGC claimed it had attacked the U.S. Special Forces command center at Al-Tanf in southern Syria, destroying radar equipment and helicopters and killing numerous American soldiers. The claim was not independently verified in the source material.
Kuwait’s military said it intercepted 32 hostile drones that entered its airspace after dawn. Several vital facilities were targeted, while falling debris caused property damage in residential areas without reported injuries. Separate reporting indicated that U.S. military equipment near Kuwait’s border with Iraq was also targeted.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi warned that regional infrastructure would become a target if Iranian infrastructure continued to be damaged. He also demanded a U.S. withdrawal from the region and described continuing American activity around the Strait of Hormuz as an act of war.
Iran reportedly instructed Hezbollah and other allied groups to remain on heightened alert amid concern that regional clashes could intensify.
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