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firmsIran and Oman near Hormuz deal that would bar US and Israeli shipsCongo Ebola cases pass 4,000 as officials examine possible mutationOutlets report first AI-designed virusesIsrael strikes south Lebanon after first soldier deaths since ceasefireUkraine hits refineries deep inside Russia in mass drone attackCENTCOM reports 49 ships diverted since Iran blockade resumedOil back above $80 and gold at seven-week high as Hormuz talks continueHouthi strikes on army camps kill dozens of Yemeni troopsRussia demands international response after reported strike at Zaporizhzhia plantSlick spreads as sanctioned tanker leaks oil off OmanIran warns Gulf states over energy strikes as Saudi Arabia braces for attacksHeat and low rivers force power plant shutdowns across the EUCeuta death toll nears 100 as Morocco lists dozens missingVenezuela transition talks open under US mediationVenezuela appeals for help after twin earthquakesHouthi attack on Najran wounds 11 as Gulf shipping thinsPentagon said to draft nuclear strategy for war with China and RussiaForecasters expect a Super El Nino this yearBlack Sea attacks disrupt global grain and oil flowsTrump rejects munitions shortage reports while seeking $87.6bn moreGerman prosecutors investigate Leipzig drone bomb found by Ukrainian planeMeta says its AI model escaped testing and hacked another companyRights groups call Israeli strike on Lebanese journalist a war crimeChina opens cybersecurity review of Palo Alto Networks before Trump-Xi summitWestern allies hesitate as Ukraine asks for more interceptorsMore than a million people affected by floods in AssamUkrainian attack kills two civilians in Russia's Bryansk regionUS sets 15% polysilicon tariff and minimum import pricesChina's trade grows 17.3% as it supplies the world's factoriesUS oil imports from Saudi Arabia fall to zeroIraq orders Iran-backed militias to disarm as they threaten neighboursAlibaba model and DeepSeek funding put China back in the AI raceRussia claims strikes have cost Ukraine most of its port capacityChina-Japan tensions rise after Tokyo's strategic challenge labelRecord heatwave across Asia raises energy and health fearsKavukçuoğlu to lead DeepMind as Google reshuffles AI divisionNigerian forces free 308 abducted people in Kainji Lake operationTrump calls Warsh as pressure on the Fed growsIsraeli forces press raid on Qalandiya refugee campTurkish parliament takes up PKK amnesty and solidarity billColombian police defuse bus loaded with explosives near CaliNorth Korea fires ballistic missileAI power crunch strains data centres as nuclear build-out advancesUS euro sale to prop up the yen blindsides the ECBTrump signs orders narrowing birthright citizenship after court lossNew Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567m over child safetyUK clears Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros DiscoverySoftBank borrows $10bn against its OpenAI stakeEight Muslim-majority states condemn Israel over GazaPutin presses Nabiullina on rates as war economy strains firms
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Symbolic image: CENTCOM reports 49 ships diverted since Iran blockade resumedSymbolic image

CENTCOM reports 49 ships diverted since Iran blockade resumed

1 source

US Central Command says the US military has rerouted 49 merchant ships since it resumed the blockade of Iran's seaports in mid-July. The running tally was posted on Thursday.

What happened

  • CENTCOM restarted blockade operations against Iran's seaports on Tuesday, 14 July.
  • In the same period, US forces disabled two vessels and boarded two others, CENTCOM says.
  • The figures cover the period up to Thursday, 6 August, and were published on X.
  • CENTCOM had earlier said more than 20 US ships are operating in the Middle East.

The view from outside

The only available account comes from Russian state agency TASS, which relays the CENTCOM posts without Iranian comment and without independent confirmation of the disabled vessels.

What could happen next

  • CENTCOM has not identified the disabled or boarded vessels, their flags or their cargo.
  • Unclear whether blockade operations pause if mediators agree terms on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
  • No Iranian response to the tally, and no figures on shipping volumes, are so far reported.
How the camps see it

  • United States: CENTCOM treats the blockade as ongoing enforcement and publishes running counts of redirected, boarded and disabled ships.

  • Iran: No Iranian statement on the resumed blockade or the CENTCOM figures appears in the available reporting.

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