- US Central Command shared video of a helicopter warning a cargo vessel near Iran's ports
- The US military blockade has forced 27 vessels to turn back from Iranian ports so far
- US warns vessels violating the blockade will face search or use of force under international law
The US Central Command, or CENTCOM, has shared a video showing a machine-gunner in a helicopter warning a cargo vessel to turn back from leaving or entering Iran's ports, in a demonstration of how American forces have been enforcing the blockade amid the war with Iran.
Iran has also blocked the Strait of Hormuz after a brief window of calm, reigniting concerns over its immediate implications on global oil trade.
In the CENTCOM video, a US soldier is seen pointing a heavy-calibre machinegun at a vessel as the Americans give warnings on radio.
"This is United States Warship 115. You are entering an area of a military blockade. This blockade of Iranian ports will be enforced and applies to all vessels regardless of flag," the video on the radio said.
"Any vessel with further intent to enter or exit an Iranian port will be subject to the right of visit and search in accordance with international law. If you attempt to run [from] the blockade we will compel compliance with force. Over."
CENTCOM said US forces have made 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port as part of its military blockade of the waterway.
"Since the commencement of the blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, US forces have directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port," CENTCOM said.
Iran is also banking on the Strait of Hormuz as its main card in any peace negotiations with the US, but using the waterway as leverage is not without risk for the Islamic republic.
While causing global economic pain gives Iran negotiating leverage, it can't escape the blowback entirely, with the US blockade halting oil exports worth tens of millions of dollars each day.
With the two-week ceasefire in the war due to run out this week, renewed conflict over the strait would also rattle a leadership trying to find its feet under new supreme leader, Khamenei's son Mojtaba, who has yet to appear in public.
"The strait is under the control of the Islamic republic," said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the veteran of the Revolutionary Guards now serving as Iranian parliament speaker and seen as the chief negotiator in talks with the US.
