According to The Times of Israel, the U.S. Central Command said in its latest post on the 22nd that it is reporting on the status of the 'U.S. blockade against Iran.' The post said that as of August 21, U.S. forces had forced 68 merchant ships to change course, disabled 3 merchant ships, and boarded and inspected 2 merchant ships to ensure they 'complied with regulations.'
Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz (source: foreign media).
The U.S. Central Command announced on July 14 the resumption of a maritime blockade targeting vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas. In addition, U.S. President Trump has repeatedly claimed in August that 'the Strait of Hormuz is U.S. territory.'
On August 19 local time, Rezaei, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said in an interview that the management, supervision and inspection of the Strait of Hormuz is entirely the responsibility of Iran and is uniformly overseen by the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The standards for charging fees and service charges to passing vessels are set by the General Staff; moreover, hostile vessels, spy vessels or vessels that threaten Iran's national security are strictly prohibited from entering the Strait of Hormuz. He also said that if Iran's interests are damaged anywhere in the world, Iran will retaliate against hostile countries and governments in the Strait of Hormuz by raising tariffs or confiscating assets.
Source: Global Times | Original
