The United States military has released new footage showing a helicopter gunner warning a cargo vessel to turn back after it was detected near Iranian ports, as enforcement of a maritime blockade intensifies.
Shared by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on X, the video captures a serviceman aiming a heavy machine gun from a helicopter while issuing a radio warning. The vessel is informed it is entering a restricted military zone and that the blockade applies to all ships, regardless of flag.
“This is United States Warship 115. You are entering an area of a military blockade,” the warning states. “Any vessel attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports will be subject to visit and search under international law. If you attempt to run the blockade, force will be used to ensure compliance.”
According to CENTCOM, 27 vessels have already been directed to alter course or return since the blockade began, highlighting the scale of enforcement in the region.
The development comes amid renewed disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping corridor, where rising tensions between Washington and Tehran have complicated maritime movement. Vessel tracking data indicates restricted traffic through the chokepoint, with both sides asserting control through separate enforcement measures.
Although Iran briefly announced a reopening of the waterway, restrictions remained in place for vessels linked to Iranian ports. While dozens of ships passed during the short window, Tehran later warned that approaching vessels could be treated as targets, effectively shutting the passage again.
Since then, only limited transit has been observed. Maritime analytics firm Kpler reported that just four vessels managed to pass through the strait in either direction over a recent 24-hour period, including the sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessel Nova Crest, which exited the Gulf and continued into the Gulf of Oman.
Despite the restrictions, hundreds of commercial vessels remain active in the Gulf, underscoring the continued—though constrained—flow of maritime traffic through one of the world’s most vital energy routes.
In a separate development, CENTCOM also released footage of a US Marine boarding operation involving the Iranian-flagged container vessel Touska in the Gulf of Oman. The operation, launched from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, shows Marines approaching by helicopter and fast-roping onto the vessel to secure it.
Iran’s Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters condemned the incident, calling it an attack on a commercial vessel and accusing the US of violating a ceasefire and engaging in “maritime piracy.” Iranian authorities claimed the ship’s navigation systems were disabled and confirmed it had been seized.
Tehran has since warned of retaliation, stating that its armed forces will respond to what it described as an act of aggression, further straining an already fragile ceasefire in place since late February.
