The United States Armed Forces have reported that a unit of Marines carried out this Thursday in the Gulf of Oman the inspection of an oil tanker sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2024 with the aim of "verifying" that it was not violating the naval blockade decreed by the US Navy on Iranian ports and coasts, in the context of the new military escalation between Washington and Tehran despite the preliminary agreement reached by both in mid-June.
"US Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a verification boarding aboard the M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, July 16," the US Army's Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated in a message disseminated on social media.
As CENTCOM itself recalled, this action is part of the naval blockade device launched by the US Navy, in which its forces have already diverted "three merchant ships attempting to circumvent" the restrictions, in addition to having "disabled one that did not comply with orders and boarded another to ensure full compliance" with said blockade.
"The Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate the United States' 'steel wall' blockade," the military command stressed, insisting that passage is only denied to ships suspected of violating the imposed measures.
The oil tanker M/T Wen Yao, whose declared destination was Salalah, Oman, was included in November 2024 in a list of more than twenty ships linked to various companies, as part of an action aimed at "limiting the Islamic Republic of Iran's ability" to obtain "crucial energy revenues to undermine stability in the region and attack US partners and allies," with specific reference to an "attack perpetrated by Iran against Israel on October 1, its second direct attack against Israel" in 2024, according to the note disseminated by the US Treasury when announcing these sanctions.
This oil tanker, which has previously flown the flags of Curaçao, Liberia, Panama, San Marino, and the Cook Islands, was sanctioned when it was sailing under the latter flag, along with more than twenty vessels and 16 companies that Washington described collectively as "a significant part of the 'ghost fleet' of tankers and illicit operators that transport the Iranian regime's oil exports."