The U.S. military said Tuesday that it boarded the commercial vessel Blue Star III during the enforcement of the blockade of Iran’s ports, but unlike in some earlier incidents tied to the blockade, the ship was not held in U.S. custody. U.S. Central Command said Marines conducted a search and then released the vessel after confirming the trip would not include a call at an Iranian port.
Central Command said the boarding involved American forces fast-roping from a helicopter onto the ship. In a separate video accompanying the announcement, the agency showed the boarding action in progress and then the forces moving onto the vessel.
Central Command did not provide details about what prompted suspicion about the Blue Star III in the first place. The military also did not describe any items it found or how any screening result would have changed the outcome, aside from saying it ultimately released the ship after the search.
The Pentagon described the blockade as a way to apply pressure on Iran amid a ceasefire in the war, with Tehran’s actions around the Strait of Hormuz affecting a key route for energy shipments. U.S. Central Command has also been providing updates, the AP reported, about the number of merchant ships it says the blockade turned around.
The Blue Star case came as U.S. officials have faced skepticism from outside experts about whether the blockade can fully restrict commerce reaching or leaving Iran. Data from ship tracking websites, as described by AP, showed the Blue Star departed the Pakistani port of Qasim and was en route to Sohar, Oman.
The U.S. military command that oversees the Middle East has also claimed more broadly that enforcement actions were designed to cut off economic trade going into and coming out of Iran. In earlier remarks, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the enforcement actions would extend beyond Iranian waters and beyond the area under U.S. Central Command control, AP reported.
Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the Tuesday boarding “demonstrates our thorough enforcement of the blockade.” In contrast, shipping experts cited by AP said Iran-linked shipping routes can sometimes work around enforcement, including by spoofing location tracking data or by moving through Pakistani territorial waters.
AP previously reported that U.S. forces boarded other merchant ships during the blockade and in some cases took ships into custody; the Blue Star incident marked, in Central Command’s account, an example where a suspected vessel was searched but allowed to continue its voyage.