WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The U.S. military has widened its efforts beyond the to allow its forces around the world to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government, from weapons to oil, metals and electronics.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, specifically pointed to operations in the Pacific, saying the U.S. would be targeting vessels that left before the blockade began earlier this week outside , a crucial waterway for energy and other shipments.
U.S. forces in other areas of responsibility 鈥渨ill actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,鈥� he told reporters at the Pentagon.
The military also detailed an expansive lists of goods that it considers contraband, declaring that it will board, search and seize them from merchant vessels 鈥渞egardless of location.鈥� says any 鈥済oods that are destined for an enemy and that may be susceptible to use in armed conflict鈥� are 鈥渟ubject to capture at any place beyond neutral territory.鈥�
The expansion of U.S. military efforts to target Iranian shipping is another pressure point for Tehran and comes as a . Mediators are pressing for an extension to a truce that has paused between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.
US military details items that could be seized from Iran-linked ships
The military’s new list of banned materials includes products such as weapons, ammunition and military equipment that are classified as 鈥渁bsolute contraband.鈥� However, it also lists items such as oil, iron, steel, aluminum and other goods as 鈥渃onditional contraband鈥� that it argues can be used both for civilian and military purposes.
Otherwise innocuous items like electronics, power generation equipment or heavy machinery can be seized if 鈥渃ircumstances indicate intended military end-use,鈥� the notice says.
More than 10,000 American troops are helping on Iranian ports. While no ships have yet been boarded, defense leaders say the military is warning Iran-linked ships that it could fire warning shots or escalate to other force if they try to outrun the Navy.
In the first three days of the military action, 14 ships have turned around rather than confront the naval blockade, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Iran war.
Some Iran-linked or sanctioned vessels that left through the strait have appeared to halt their movements, turn off their radio transponders or head back toward Iran’s coast, shipping data firms say.
Ships near th
e blockade face US warnings
Vessels that approach the blockade, which is being enforced in Iran鈥檚 territorial seas and international waters and not in the Strait of Hormuz, get a warning, Caine said.
鈥淎ny ship that would cross the blockade would result in our sailors executing pre-planned tactics designed to bring the force to that ship 鈥� if need be, board the ship and take her over,鈥� he said.
U.S. Central Command has released a recording of a radio broadcast sent to vessels in the region that said the military was ready to use force if needed to compel compliance.
鈥淰essels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure transiting to or from Iranian port,鈥� the message said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that 鈥渓ess than 10% of America鈥檚 naval power鈥� is being used to enforce the blockade. The Navy has 16 warships 鈥� 11 destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, an aircraft carrier and a littoral combat ship 鈥� in the Middle East out of a battle force of roughly 300 total warships.
Also supporting the blockade are a series of aircraft as well as surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence operations designed to give the Navy the latest information on the vessels it is encountering.
The Navy is likely tracking ships linked to Iran through satellites, drones and other forms of surveillance as well as each commercial vessel鈥檚 past history, said Kevin Donegan, a retired vice admiral and former commander of the Navy鈥檚 Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty complex operation to make work,鈥� said Donegan, who spoke Thursday during a webinar hosted by the Middle East Institute. 鈥淣ot just from the intelligence standpoint, but positioning all the ships in the right way to make the intercepts if you have to.鈥�
Donegan stressed that the blockade is only one pressure point on Iran and that it won鈥檛 end the conflict on its own.
鈥淔or it to be most effective, this military tool is added to the other operational tasks that were being done and paired with 鈥� hopefully, diplomacy,鈥� Donegan said. 鈥淎nd if those two are scripted together in the right way, we can potentially get the outcomes we want.鈥�
US Central Command chief appears at the Pentagon
As Hegseth and Caine discussed the blockade, Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, made a rare appearance in the Pentagon briefing room.
He said that before the ceasefire took hold, American service members and troops from allied countries in the Persian Gulf had 鈥渇ought together side by side.鈥�
鈥淚n creating the largest air defense umbrella in the world across the Middle East, we embedded specially trained U.S. military air defenders alongside our partner nation soldiers,鈥� Cooper said, adding that Bahrain鈥檚 king and crown prince knew American soldiers by name.
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