CENTCOM Says 125 Vessels Redirected, Six Disabled in Blockade

The United States Central Command said Wednesday that 125 commercial vessels have been redirected under the naval blockade of Iran’s ports, and six ships were “disabled” after failing to comply with instructions to turn away, according to Middle East Eye. The figures represent an increase from previous CENTCOM updates and offer the most detailed accounting yet of the scale of the maritime enforcement operation President Trump launched in mid-April to choke off Iran’s oil exports.

The updated numbers arrived on a day when the blockade’s consequences were visible across multiple fronts: Brent crude trading at $97.07 per barrel, Kuwait warning that Gulf oil output will take months to recover even after the strait reopens, and House Speaker Mike Johnson emerging from a three-hour White House meeting to say Trump is working on “that final piece” to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The enforcement numbers

CENTCOM did not specify which vessels were redirected or which six were disabled, nor did it define what “disabled” means in operational terms — whether the ships were boarded, had their engines incapacitated, or were struck with warning fire. Previous reporting has documented at least one instance in which US forces fired on a tanker violating the blockade, and CENTCOM acknowledged in late May that Marines had boarded an Iranian tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

The 125-vessel figure encompasses redirections since the blockade’s inception in mid-April under Trump’s executive order to restrict Iranian oil revenue. The pace appears to be accelerating. CENTCOM’s previous public update, issued in late May, cited a lower total, though the command has not released vessel-by-vessel data or a timeline of individual interdictions.

The operation relies primarily on the Nimitz and Eisenhower carrier strike groups, supplemented by guided-missile destroyers, patrol craft and Marine boarding teams operating from amphibious assault ships in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Johnson signals Hormuz deal in the works

Speaker Johnson told reporters Wednesday after leaving the White House that Trump is focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic and is working on “that final piece” to make it happen, according to Middle East Eye. Johnson did not elaborate on what the outstanding element is or whether it involves concessions from Iran, security guarantees for Gulf shipping, or a broader diplomatic framework.

The remarks came after a roughly three-hour meeting at the White House — an unusually long session that suggests the discussions extended well beyond the Hormuz question. Johnson’s visit also occurred as Congress prepares to vote on war powers resolutions that could force a withdrawal of US forces from hostilities against Iran, adding political urgency to the administration’s search for an off-ramp.

Trump himself claimed earlier Wednesday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is directly involved in negotiations and that Iran has agreed to forgo nuclear weapons. Tehran has not confirmed those claims, and no verified framework has been made public.

Iran’s capabilities remain a factor

Even as the blockade squeezes Iranian commerce, the regime’s military threat has not been fully neutralized. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Wednesday that Iran still operates small boats armed with anti-ship missiles and retains some asymmetric capabilities, though he argued Tehran can no longer mount the large-scale coordinated drone swarms it previously deployed, according to Middle East Eye.

Rubio’s concession was underscored hours later when Iranian missiles and drones struck Kuwait International Airport and targeted Bahrain, killing one person and triggering warning sirens across both Gulf states. The attacks demonstrated that even a degraded Iranian military can project force beyond its borders — a reality that complicates the blockade’s enforcement posture and raises questions about the risk to commercial vessels that might resume Hormuz transits under any reopening agreement.

The persistence of Iran’s asymmetric threat also explains why the “disabled” vessel count stands at six. Enforcement operations in waters where Iranian fast boats and shore-based missile batteries remain active carry risks that US naval commanders must weigh against the objective of sealing off Iranian exports. Each interdiction is a potential flashpoint, particularly when the vessel in question is flagged to a third country or carrying cargo with ambiguous documentation.

Recovery timeline: months, not days

Even if the blockade achieves its stated objective and a deal to reopen Hormuz materializes, the economic damage will linger. Kuwait Petroleum Company managing director Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al-Sabah said Wednesday that oil output would not recover for 10 to 12 weeks after the strait reopens: 6 to 8 weeks to restore 70 percent of normal production, and another 3 to 4 weeks for the remainder, according to OilPrice.com. He cited the need to restart wells, gathering systems, storage facilities, export terminals, and logistics networks that have been idle during the prolonged closure.

That timeline means oil markets will remain tight well into the autumn regardless of what happens diplomatically. Gulf producers that shut in capacity cannot simply turn the taps back on overnight, and downstream supply chains — refineries, shipping schedules, storage contracts — need weeks to recalibrate. The result is a lag between any political resolution and the price relief American consumers and global markets are waiting for.

Alternative export routes are already absorbing some of the displaced volume. Iraq has tripled its pipeline exports through Turkey to compensate for the Hormuz shutdown, but pipeline capacity has hard limits that cannot substitute for the roughly 20 million barrels per day that normally transit the strait.

The blockade’s strategic calculation

The 125-vessel milestone reflects a blockade that is operationally effective at interdicting traffic but has not yet forced the strategic outcome the administration seeks: an Iranian capitulation on nuclear enrichment, an end to proxy operations, and a verifiable disarmament framework. The blockade is imposing costs — on Iran, on Gulf allies, and on global energy markets — but the question that Johnson’s White House visit highlights is whether those costs are producing leverage or merely producing casualties and inflation.

Kuwait and Bahrain have both claimed the right to respond to Iranian attacks on their territory, adding new actors to a conflict that began as a bilateral US-Iran confrontation. Every additional belligerent complicates the diplomacy and extends the timeline for any resolution.

For now, the blockade continues, the vessel count climbs, and the strait stays closed. Whether Johnson’s “final piece” materializes before Congress forces the issue with a war powers vote remains the central question in Washington.

---

For the overnight military escalation, see US strikes Qeshm Island; Iran retaliates against Kuwait, Bahrain. For the diplomatic track, see Trump claims Khamenei in direct negotiations. For oil market impact, see Brent nears $100 as US gas prices surge 42%.