U.S. Central Command posted a video of U.S. Marines boarding a cargo ship suspected of running the Strait of Hormuz blockade on Tuesday morning.
The U.S.’s economic strangulation of Iran continued when U.S. Marines from the 31st Expeditionary Unit fast roped onto the M/V Blue Star III in the Persian Gulf, after it was suspected of trying to travel to an Iranian port. The video posted by CENTCOM showed Marine helicopters taking off from a U.S. Navy ship in the dawn hours on Tuesday, landing a squad of Marines directly onto the cargo containers of the ship.
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The raid apparently didn’t last long, and the vessel was released after it was confirmed it wouldn’t transit to Iran.
“U.S. forces released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming the ship’s voyage would not include an Iranian port call,” CENTCOM said.
The U.S. blockade has intercepted 39 vessels as of Tuesday, in an effort to force Iran to the negotiating table.
The Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz quickly became the biggest global flashpoint of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, with the closure of the vital strait leading to a worldwide energy crisis and sending shockwaves through the global economy.
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The opening of the strait was a key part of the ceasefire reached earlier this month, but it was quickly closed again. Washington then flipped the script by instituting its own blockade, which has quickly taken a toll on Iran’s economy.
Peace negotiations suffered a significant setback last week, with Washington and Tehran withdrawing their negotiators from Islamabad, Pakistan. The fragile ceasefire has held so far, though the continued massive U.S. airlift to the Middle East has fueled speculation that the war could resume any day.
